The Role of the US in the Promotion of Criminal Justice Reform in Mexico: The Case of Law Schools

Abstract

Judicial reform was a main component of the USA’s democracy promotion programs in Latin America. Improving the rule of law through the redesign of justice-sector institutions was considered an important condition for democratization. However, changing the rules of the game in the justice-sector does not imply judicial reform success, that is, rule transformation does not mean effective rule operation. This chapter explores the extent to which US aid affected the way justice is delivered in this region. The focus is on the reforms to the criminal procedural system at the subnational level. Through the analysis of subnational judiciaries in Mexico, it is argued that US promotion of judicial reform has had positive effects, even though several attempts were needed to achieve subnational judicial reform success.