Drug Violence in Mexico. Data and Analysis Through 2010

Year 2011

Viridiana Ríos and David A. Shirk February 2011 In the second annual special report on drug violence in Mexico, the authors found that 2010 was the worst year on record for such violence, and was marked a sharp increase in politically targeted violence that included numerous assassinations and kidnappings of public officials. The violence became so severe that officials in Mexico and the United States  expressed uncertainty about the Mexican state’s ability to withstand the effects of this violence. 2011_DVM

Judicial Reform in Mexico. Toward a New Criminal Justice System

Year 2010

Matthew C. Ingram and David A. Shirk May 2010 Mexico has been gradually implementing a series of reforms that will dramatically improve public security and the administration of justice over the next decade. Thus, procedural reforms targeting the judicial sector are, at best, a long-term solution to the problems of crime and violence that have motivated them. Careful analysis is therefore needed to evaluate what judicial reformers hope to accomplish, and what can be achieved realistically in the near term future. 2010_JUDICIALREFORM

Drug Violence in Mexico. Data and Analysis from 2001-2009

Year 2010

David A. Shirk January 2010 Mexico closed the decade with an unprecedented level of violence, and a record number of drug-related killings in 2009. This raises serious concerns for the Mexican public, for policy makers, and for Mexico's neighboring countries. This report provides an overview of the trends found in available data on drug-related killings in Mexico, and offers some brief observations about the causes of violence and the effectiveness of recent efforts to combat organized crime. 2010_DVM

Justiciabarómetro: Encuesta de operadores del sistema penal (Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara)

Year 2009

Maria Eugenia Suárez de Garay and David A. Shirk December 2009 In December, the Justice in Mexico Project released the results of a groundbreaking survey titled Justiciabarómetro: Encuesta de operadores del sistema penal (Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara). The survey represents the largest independent study of a police force ever published in Mexico.  Due to its magnitude, breadth of inquiry, and high level of participation, this study makes a noteworthy contribution to the study of public security issues in Mexico (Report in Spanish). 2009_JB-ZMG_ESP