On August 7th, Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced that he will propose a new bill to Congress that includes the implementation of life imprisonment for kidnappers. The proposal is a result of a new wave of kidnappings that has shocked Mexican society in the last few weeks. In the most recent case, a 14 year old boy was kidnapped and murdered by a group of highly organized and violent criminals. It is believed that some of these criminals may have connections to police forces in Mexico City.
Although the potential bill has been well received in several circles in Mexico, it has also faced criticism across the country. In the first place, it breaks with legal tradition in Mexico, as the country has always been opposed to life imprisonment. Just a few days ago, the Mexican government officially protested the execution of a Mexican national that participated in the murder of two teenage girls. The Mexican government seems to believe that life imprisonment would be appropriate in Mexico, but the death sentence would be inappropriate in the state of Texas.
This brings us to the issue of effective law enforcement. The Mexican legal system is known for its corruption and lack of effectiveness. If members of the police forces are somehow participating in the kidnappings, there is no guarantee that other police members will not interfere with an investigation that might lead to a life sentence. In other words, it would probably be inappropriate to implement life imprisonment if the law enforcement agencies are not prepared to objectively and professionally investigate crimes.
Proposing and passing a bill in Congress does not take much time. Reforming the law enforcement agencies is a project that has been underway for decades and the Mexican society has not witnessed any encouraging results. The evidence indicates that the Mexican government cannot really handle the "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" state of nature that seems to be present‚ or at least reported‚ in the country. This is unfortunate for citizens that pay their taxes in order to receive the basic service of security.
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