Torture as a Method of Criminal Prosecution: Democratization, Criminal Justice Reform, and the Mexican Drug War

Magaloni, Beatriz; Rodríguez, Luis Andrés Vélez

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3344814

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Second is "institutionalized torture," when a respondent was crushed with a heavy object, electrocuted, suffocated or submerged in water, burned, or stabbed while in custody. Institutionalized torture, as we argue in Magaloni et al (2018), requires some form of institutional endorsement providing a dedicated space and equipment. Third is "threats" or reports of threats by authorities either to press false charges or to harm a detainee's family.…”

Section: Institutions and Criminal Justice Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In the Mexican context, the inquisitorial system was not reformed until 2008-2017, as I further elaborate below. Before the reform, judicial torture was what we have called a "method of criminal investigation" (Magaloni et al, 2018). Prosecutors and police officers traditionally relied on coerced confessions and the intimidation of witnesses as the main methods to offer "evidence" to close cases.…”

Section: Institutions and Criminal Justice Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…My work has relied on surveys of the prison population. Magaloni et al (2018) used a survey collected among prisoners in six federal detention centers. Magaloni and Rodriguez (2020) (Magaloni and Rodriguez, 2023) My work relies on these prisoners' voices to document torture and other forms of police brutality.…”

Section: Institutions and Criminal Justice Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Challenges in creating humane and equitable policing: A focus on the Global South

Magaloni

2024

Criminology & Public Policy

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Research SummaryPolice brutality is a widespread phenomenon around the world. Particularly gruesome human rights abuses in the course of policing take place in Latin America, the world's most violent region outside war zones. Democratic institutions such as competitive elections, checks and balances, and judicial independence are insufficient to prevent police from abusing their power. What factors explain that police engage in abusive behaviors, including illegal arrest, the fabrication of evidence, the use of torture to extract confessions, and the excessive use of force causing injury or death? How can societies restrain these abusive behaviors and subject police to the rule of law? Police behavior is shaped by a combination of institutional, societal, political, organizational, and individual factors. Inquisitorial criminal justice institutions, inherited from the colonial past, have persisted in Latin America until very recently. This meant that democracies in the region were born with weak due process protections that have enabled state authorities and police to abuse their coercive powers as they investigate and prosecute crimes. Police brutality is further the product of security policies. High crime rates and the presence of highly organized criminal groups have pushed many Latin American governments to adopt militarized security interventions ‐including deploying the armed forces to control crime and militarizing police forces. Populist demands for harsh policies, moreover, generate incentives for politicians to adopt security strategies that violate human rights and which, in the long run, increase violence in society. The most affected groups are the poor, people of color, and those living in impoverished minoritized communities.Policy ImplicationsIt is essential to strengthen due process protections and judicial oversight over police to reduce torture and other forms of police brutality. Police demilitarization and, under some conditions, community‐oriented policing approaches can sharply reduce the use of excessive force causing injury or death. Body‐worn cameras (BWC), moreover, can effectively be used to reduce police abusive behavior —and violence against police officers — even in high violence situations and where toxic police‐community relations prevail. One limitation of this technology is that it gives too much leeway to frontline officers to turn their cameras on. Poor supervision can further undermine police compliance with camera protocols. These problems can be overcome by assigning cameras to supervisors and using more advanced technologies that allow turning cameras on from the main station. Monetary incentives that reward police officers “to kill less” is another effective policy intervention to reduce police violence causing injury or death.

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Section: Institutions and Criminal Justice Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Institutions and Criminal Justice Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Institutions and Criminal Justice Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Challenges in creating humane and equitable policing: A focus on the Global South

Magaloni

2024

Criminology & Public Policy

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“…En la Figura 1 se observan los años de 2011 y 2012, que corresponden al periodo del presidente Calderón, donde se registra una alta frecuencia de víctimas. La mayoría de los casos confirmados por la CNDH fueron atribuidos al Ejército, que desplegó aproximadamente a 45.000 efectivos para estas actividades (Magaloni y Rodríguez, 2019). En 2017 el número aumentó a 52.000 soldados y 17.000 marinos (Organizaciones de la sociedad civil mexicana, 2019).…”

Section: Contextounclassified

“…Pero resulta viable esperar la continuidad de la tendencia por tres motivos: el incremento de la incidencia delictiva, superior al periodo 2011-2012; así como la continuidad de la participación de las Fuerzas Armadas en labores de seguridad pública como sostienen algunas investigaciones (Cárdenas, 2019; Universidad Iberoamericana, 2020; Organizaciones de la sociedad civil mexicana, 2019); adicionalmente porque el costo político es más reducido cuando una administración anterior lo hizo (Poe, 2004 Sobre el tema predominan tres tipos de estudios sociales. En primer lugar, los de enfoque macro, donde se observa la incidencia de la tortura en el desarrollo democrático y comportamiento de los regímenes políticos (Davenport y Armstrong, 2004;Magaloni y Rodríguez, 2019;Poe, 2004;Poe y Tate, 1994;Rivera, 2010). Su objetivo es analizar el fenómeno como expresiones autoritarias de represión y el cambio político, pero en los resultados se oculta la diferencia del sufrimiento entre hombres y mujeres.…”

Section: Contextounclassified

Patrones de género en las prácticas de tortura cometidas por las Fuerzas Armadas de México (2011-2019)

Ruíz

Reyes

Ruiz

2021

Am. Lat. Hoy. Rev. Cienc. Soc.

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Este trabajo analiza las diferentes experiencias de víctimas de tortura por parte del Ejército de México para observar la relación entre métodos empleados y género. Los resultados muestran que existen diferencias por género respecto a las prácticas de tortura utilizadas. Mientras que los métodos de inmovilización, asfixia, electrificación y mutilación se ejercieron mayoritariamente en hombres, las mujeres sufrieron desnudez, contusiones en los genitales, acoso y violación sexual. Además, padecieron violencia de forma desproporcionada respecto a los hombres.

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Tortura (s) en el siglo XXI. ¿Expansión en contextos democráticos?

2023

TraHs

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Referencias ACNUDH -Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos-(2023). Situación de los derechos humanos en Guatemala, ONU. Aguilera, G. (2007). Los acuerdos de paz en Centroamérica y la guerra interna. En www.fasoc.cl/files/ BBC, (2020). Quién es Consuelo Porras, la polémica fiscal general de Guatemala a la que EE.UU. señala de ser un "actor corrupto". En: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-61471743, consulta realizada el 11 de marzo de 2023.

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Torture as a Method of Criminal Prosecution: Democratization, Criminal Justice Reform, and the Mexican Drug War

Cited by 4 publications

References 78 publications

Challenges in creating humane and equitable policing: A focus on the Global South

Challenges in creating humane and equitable policing: A focus on the Global South

Patrones de género en las prácticas de tortura cometidas por las Fuerzas Armadas de México (2011-2019)

Tortura (s) en el siglo XXI. ¿Expansión en contextos democráticos?

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