Beyond the 2008 Justice Reforms: Establishing a Legitimate Rule of Law in Mexico with Jury Trials

Abstract : In Mexico's developing democracy, the weaknesses of the justice system have led to corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary as well as the widespread perception of criminal impunity. To address the rising tide of organized crime violence, in 2008 the Government of Mexico passed an 8-year judicial reform plan to transition from an inquisitorial law system to an adversarial law system. However, the judicial reform measures alone do not sufficiently address the problem of achieving legitimacy in the eyes of a distrustful public. The further step of implementing criminal jury trials is necessary to establish a legitimate rule of law in Mexico.