Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Dog the Bounty Hunter & posibbly getting put in a Mexican prison.

Don Quixote · 09-20-2006, 11:56 AM

I have no idea of what show you are referring to, but let me tell you a few things about Mexican justice and bureaucracy, as I have seen and understood it. Please understand that I'm not an expert, and if someone knows more than I do, especially someone who knows law better than I, please correct me.
1) As inherited from Spain, Mexican law is still basically Napoleonic law, which does not, as in the U.S., presume that "a person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt"; there is much more burden of proof on the accused to prove innocence. I believe that there are no writs of habeas corpus, and that people can be held fairly indefinitely, certainly more than 24 hours, without attorney.
2) The Mexican legal system is riddled with corruption, from police officers (who, because of pitifully low pay will often stop people to shake them down for a bribe, called "la mordida" ["the bite"]), to judges who are often beholden to the powerful and politically connected for their seats. There is also fear of political, economic and even physical reprisals by the powerful, and especially, in some states, by the drug lords. This is not to say that our system is perfect, either--in spite of what he say we believe about equality before the law, it's certainly easier if you have lots of money and are not from a minority group if you have been accused of serious crimes.
3)Anybody from another country who goes to Mexico and even comes close to going over the legal line is, quite frankly, somewhat nuts and should not be expecting any kind of favorable treatment. Mexican jails are not country clubs like the ones Pete Rose, Martha Stewart and John Rowland (the disgraced governor of Connecticut) spent time in; they are harsh places where hardened criminals are mixed in with people who have committed lesser crimes, where the inmates barely have enough to eat, and where the guards do not worry much about prisoners' rights (I don't know this first hand, but all of my Mexican friends have said similar things to me). Why would any foreigner even come close to doing anything illegal, given this system? As I've noted in several posts, I love Mexico, have even lived there for a year, and go back frequently (including next week), but would never mess with anything involving the legal system.
DQ

[ September 20, 2006, 14:14: Message edited by: Don Quixote ]

09-20-2006, 11:56 AM	#2
Don Quixote Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Springfield, MA 01109 Posts: 309	I have no idea of what show you are referring to, but let me tell you a few things about Mexican justice and bureaucracy, as I have seen and understood it. Please understand that I'm not an expert, and if someone knows more than I do, especially someone who knows law better than I, please correct me. 1) As inherited from Spain, Mexican law is still basically Napoleonic law, which does not, as in the U.S., presume that "a person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt"; there is much more burden of proof on the accused to prove innocence. I believe that there are no writs of habeas corpus, and that people can be held fairly indefinitely, certainly more than 24 hours, without attorney. 2) The Mexican legal system is riddled with corruption, from police officers (who, because of pitifully low pay will often stop people to shake them down for a bribe, called "la mordida" ["the bite"]), to judges who are often beholden to the powerful and politically connected for their seats. There is also fear of political, economic and even physical reprisals by the powerful, and especially, in some states, by the drug lords. This is not to say that our system is perfect, either--in spite of what he say we believe about equality before the law, it's certainly easier if you have lots of money and are not from a minority group if you have been accused of serious crimes. 3)Anybody from another country who goes to Mexico and even comes close to going over the legal line is, quite frankly, somewhat nuts and should not be expecting any kind of favorable treatment. Mexican jails are not country clubs like the ones Pete Rose, Martha Stewart and John Rowland (the disgraced governor of Connecticut) spent time in; they are harsh places where hardened criminals are mixed in with people who have committed lesser crimes, where the inmates barely have enough to eat, and where the guards do not worry much about prisoners' rights (I don't know this first hand, but all of my Mexican friends have said similar things to me). Why would any foreigner even come close to doing anything illegal, given this system? As I've noted in several posts, I love Mexico, have even lived there for a year, and go back frequently (including next week), but would never mess with anything involving the legal system. DQ [ September 20, 2006, 14:14: Message edited by: Don Quixote ]