Mexico, it seems, finds itself perched on the horns on a dilemma: should it fight crime or protect the rights of those accused of committing it? Since President Felipe Calderón declared war on drugs in 2006, some 95,000 Mexicans have been murdered, and another 25,000 disappeared, through 2012. At the same time, the Mexican government was implementing a 2008 criminal justice reform that explicitly codified international norms such as the presumption of innocence and assistance of counsel during interrogations. Some may argue that time and money spent on justice reform in the face of uncontrolled gang violence is misplaced, while others will say it is highly warranted. Indeed, in an atmosphere ridden by violence and fear, the rights of the accused may seem like a luxury—something to be conceded only after pressing security problems are brought under control. As abhorrent as it might seem, the idea that rights protect criminals—which I’ll call “rights skepticism”—is an understandable response to violence that is spiraling out of control. Certainly, office-seekers looking to make political hay of crime frequently adopt anti-rights stances. On the other hand, mounting rights abuses make protecting the rights of the accused paramount. But where do ordinary Mexicans stand on this security-rights tradeoff?
In 2014, the Americas and the World (CIDE, Mexico City) teamed up with the Human Rights Perceptions Polls (University of Minnesota) to probe Mexicans’ views on rights. The two groups had already worked together in 2012, but this new polls expanded the number of human rights questions. Pollsters asked respondents on a scale of 1 to 7 (with 1 being “not at all” and 7 “very much”), “[H]ow much does ‘protecting criminals’ have to do with what you understand as human rights?” Do Mexicans believe that human rights protect criminals? Does this belief vary across regions, as well as by aspects of the local social context, including crime rates? Our survey evidence, judiciously combined with other data, suggests that Mexican opinions vary depending on geography and politics. Demotix/Enrique Perez Huerta (All rights reserved)
"The idea that rights protect criminals—which I’ll call 'rights skepticism'—is an understandable response to violence that is spiraling out of control."
