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08/20/10 – The State Judiciary of Chiapas will invest more than $2 million (USD) in training and judicial reorganization to implement the new criminal justice system in the state of Chiapas. The announcement was made by the Technical Secretary of the Coordinating Council for the Implementation of the New Justice System, Felipe Borrego Estrada, at the Dialogue for Security event which Felipe Calderón attended.

Borrego Estrada admitted that only eight states in México have begun the process of judicial reform; however, 17 states, including Chiapas, have been given the resources required for new projects involving technical systems of communication and information, training, and institutional reorganizations. The Superior Court of Justice of the State will be in charge of reorganizing the Institute of Social Defense and training public servants.

The other 16 states are Baja California, Campeche, Chihuahua, Colima, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Morelos, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, and Yucatán.

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This is actually very good (and long overdue) news...

Fundamentally, it involves changing from a Napoleanic form of "guilty until proven innocent" to the system that is utilized by most countries, including the US, of "innocent until proven guilty". It provides for a jury system, and open records. Instead of a judge making a decision behind closed doors. To most Americans, it would probably appear simple. But, fact is, given the entrenched, long-standing system, it will take a concerted effort to educate the police, the judiciary, the lawyers, and the people, who may finds themselves sitting in judgment.