FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the project:
1. How does the Justice in Mexico project track the drug war deaths?
TBI began to track drug-related violence back in 2007. The dataset as it exists now is an unofficial tally of those weekly figures report by the Mexican newspaper Reforma based in Mexico City. Reforma is a publication of Grupo Reforma– the largest printed media company in Mexico and Latin America. These data are unofficial and may not be consistent with official figures.
The number of deaths reported by Reforma is a compilation of daily information reported by Grupo Reforma journalists about homicides occurring throughout the country. The killings may or may not be published, as many times available space does not allow it. To consider a death to be drug-related, Reforma takes into account the style of the crime: the weapons involved the scene and circumstances of the crime etc. Reforma data excludes those homicides in which the murderer was under the influence of drugs.
Reforma’s weekly totals are updated every Monday and they are available on their website (http://www.reforma.com). Access to the “National” section under which the data is found requires a paid subscription to the paper’s services.
Use of the Project’s dataset compiled from Reforma data will be available in May 2009 when the Justice in Mexico Project launches its “Justice in Mexico: Crime Indicator Database.”
2. Where can I find the latest statistical information on drug related killings in Mexico?
The Justice in Mexico Project has compiled the “Justice in Mexico: Crime Indicator Database”. This web portal provides access to datasets managed by the Justice in Mexico Project of the Trans-Border Institute, as well as links to other publicly available databases related to Mexico’s judicial sector. The Justice in Mexico Project uses these data for research and analysis that helps advise policy makers on issues related to the rule of law and the administration of justice in Mexico.
The goal of this web-portal is to develop a comprehensive resource on crime and justice sector data that is accessible to English- and Spanish-speaking, project affiliated researchers. Because some datasets have been constructed using information that is proprietary to the Justice in Mexico Project or to government agencies that generated the datasets, only project affiliated researchers may obtain a password to enter the data portal.
Researchers who wish to become affiliated with the Justice in Mexico Project should contact the Trans-Border Institute at 619-260-4090 or tbi@sandiego.edu. It may take up to 48 hours to process email requests.
The Justice in Mexico Project also has made statistical information available to the general public which can be accessed via the following links:
http://justiceinmexico.org/resources-2/drug-violence/
http://justiceinmexico.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/120303-ejecuciones.xls
Similar information can also be found on the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía’s website, or the Mexican Government’s website.
3. What is the cause of the drug related violence in Mexico?
In recent years, however, the disruption and fragmentation of organized crime networks —notably, the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix cartel, the Matamoros-based Gulf cartel, and the Culiacán-based Sinaloa cartel— has led to increased infighting and competition for control over previously-established drug routes and territories (or “plazas”). New contenders for control include the Beltran Leyva organization and a series of small-time organizations, such as the “La Familia” organization in Michoacán. These groups are arguably smaller, but —by virtue of their unpredictability, their lack of hierarchical structure, and the frenzied competitiveness that has resulted from their proliferation— they are also far less “manageable” than the government would like. Moreover, there is no end in sight. Drug-related violence has abated significantly in some parts of Mexico, but remains extreme in several of the key states noted earlier. While violence has tended to surge and decline periodically in recent years, the current rate of killings —more than 400 per month— puts Mexico on track to have another very bad year in 2009.
4. Are Mexican citizens being targeted?
Mexican government officials estimate that some 90% of drug-related killings involve members of organized crime, while most of the remainder has included government officials and law enforcement. Indeed, organized crime groups have killed hundreds of government personnel at the federal, state, and local level. This year alone, Mexico City-based Reforma newspaper reports that 74 police have been killed, as well as at least 4 Mexican soldiers.
5. Has the violence “spilled over” the border?
There has been a great deal of recent discussion about the implications of Mexican drug violence for the United States and our U.S. border communities. For months, we’ve been barraged by daily stories about violence in Mexico and, increasingly, concerns about “spillover” violence.
There have been worrying signs that appear to substantiate these concerns. Reported incidents include kidnappings and extortion perpetrated by immigrant smuggling organizations, especially problematic in Arizona (the nation’s leading corridor for undocumented immigration). Recent violence in Phoenix has also included home invasions, assault, and even torture; though these problems appear to target local individuals and immigrants involved in wholesale and retail drug operations in the United States. In the most severe forms, this violence apparently includes isolated incidents of high-powered gunplay and use of explosive devices by Mexican organized crime in some Texas border towns, as well as victims of cartel violence showing up in U.S. hospitals in El Paso.
These phenomena have been frequently lumped together as being the overflow of violence from Mexico, though this is not well substantiated. To be sure, most border residents don’t care whether violent crime is local or imported; they just want to feel safe in their communities. But how we understand the structure and function organized crime matters. It matters especially with regard to the remedies we employ to address it.
Local drug violence is not quite the same thing as drug war violence spilling over from Mexico. While U.S.-based local gangs are certainly a problem for our border communities —in many cases involve Mexican immigrants, Mexican nationals, or have ties to Mexican cartels— these are U.S.-based organized crime networks are not a direct extension of Mexican cartels into the United States. Moreover, the mere presence of local gangs and other distribution networks —and their violent behavior— does not constitute a “spillover” of Mexican-style cartel violence.
The fact that this kind of “spillover” is not occurring on our side of the border means that we probably don’t need to expend precious National Guard resources to our border. It is also a testament to the effectiveness and hard work of the U.S. law enforcement agents, who make it difficult for the cartels to operate with impunity in U.S. territory.
6. How many drug related killings occurred in Mexico in 2005? 2006? 2007? 2008?
According to independent media accounts of Mexico’s drug war violence, there have been over 13,000 drug-related killings (an average of 3.2 per 100,000 persons) since 2005: with an estimated 1,500 in 2005; 2,200 in 2006; 2,300 in 2007; 6,000 in 2008, and 1,300 in the first three months of 2009. Our review of available data suggests that the vast majority of these killings —roughly 60%— occurred in five Mexican states: Chihuahua (20.1%), Sinaloa (14.4%), Michoacán (10.6%), Baja California (9.6%), and Guerrero (7.6%). It is important to note that Mexican border states accounted for a disproportionate share —approximately 40%— of total drug-related killings.
7. Are 2009 figures showing a decreasing trend of drug-related killings?
Drug-related violence has abated significantly in some parts of Mexico, but remains extreme in several of the key states noted earlier. While violence has tended to surge and decline periodically in recent years, the current rate of killings —more than 400 per month— puts Mexico on track to have another very bad year in 2009.
8. Does the Justice in Mexico Project offer any fellowship opportunities?
Unfortunately the Trans-Border Institute does not have a formal fellowship program, as it does not have the capacity to fund one. In the past, however, TBI has accepted a limited number of Visiting Scholars. Candidates are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and it is recommended that applicants have the ability to support themselves through other financial means.
