 |
|
|
 Editorials | At Issue | August 2006 
In Mexico, Oral Trials to Begin for Some Crimes
 Rebeca Jiménez & María Teresa Montaño - El Universal
| | The measure is expected to significantly shorten the duration of the proceedings, which currently can take up to two years. With the oral system, they will last a maximum of one month. |
The State of Mexico will begin using oral trials on Tuesday, in an effort to simultaneously reduce a judicial backlog in the state´s courtrooms and improve transparency in the justice system.
Judge Patricia Jardines will administer the state´s first oral hearing for the populous municipality of Tlalnepantla, located on the northern outskirts of Mexico City. The state capital of Toluca will also begin oral trials instead of the document-based hearings traditionally used in Mexican courts.
For now, the trials will be restricted to less serious crimes where the accused is eligible for bail. This list includes offenses such as incurring injuries from reckless driving, defamation, looting and traffic violations.
State magistrate Gonzalo Antonio Vergara Rojas said that the two judges underwent a series of courses to prepare for the new trials. The measure is expected to significantly shorten the duration of the proceedings, which currently can take up to two years. With the oral system, they will last a maximum of one month.
The paperwork for the trials will also be reduced: In the document-based system, any given case typically consists of up to 5,000 pages of testimony and evidence. With the new system, the cases will be streamlined, comprised of several pages, along with videotaped copies of the confessions, declarations and testimony, Vergara Rojas said.
On Monday, technicians were examining the final details of the newly revamped courtrooms, which will now be equipped with video camaras, microphones and television screens.
Within the next three years, the municipalities of Naucalpan, Cuautitlán, Tultitlán, Ixtlahuaca, Nezahualcóyotl, Texcoco, Chalco and Ecatepec are also expected to begin adopting the use of oral trials. Oral hearings for serious crimes are in the works as well.
Vergara Rojas said the new system will help improve transparency, since any irregularity committed during a trial will be captured on camera.
The document-based system of holding trials has been targeted by critics of the nation´s judicial system, who say it allows corruption to flourish. Last year, Nuevo León became the first state to implement oral trials, but only in cases in which the defendant is accused of battery or manslaughter and in crimes involving property damage. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us