Mexico prepares to overhaul justice system

By Jason Lange

REUTERS

2:54 p.m. December 11, 2007

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's government is pushing a landmark reform through Congress to give police sweeping powers to pursue drug-smuggling mafias while offering defendants some new protections.

Congress was expected to approve a bill this week that would allow police to hold organized crime suspects for up to 80 days without being formally charged, a move that could result more drug traffickers being convicted and imprisoned.

Judges would have to authorize such extended detentions on a case-by-case basis.

A year-old army crackdown on Mexican drug cartels has put hundreds of suspected smugglers in jail, but some have walked free because prosecutors did not have enough time to build a good case, lawmakers said.

You have to realize the other implications of this type of politics. With corruption as rampant as it is in the judicial and law enforcement systems, this allows for even greater abuse.