Real justice: Civic engagement and Mexico’s justice system

“Without justice, there can be no peace. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. ” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The magnitude of the challenges confronted by Mexico’s judicial sector is not to be underestimated. Mexico is working to make major progress in a relatively short period, attempting to radically alter hundreds of years of legal tradition in less than a decade.

Whether this effort to reform the criminal justice system will succeed may depend less on the procedural changes than on efforts to address long-standing problems by shoring up traditionally weak and corrupt institutions. The ultimate legacy of these reforms will depend largely on how they are implemented, and by whom. In the end, the success of these efforts will rest on the shoulders of a new generation of citizens and professionals within the criminal justice system who will be the beneficiaries of Mexico’s ongoing judicial sector reforms.

The participation of civil society has been identified as one of the critical factors for the successful implementation of judiciary reform in Chile, the country with the best results so far in Latin America. This is why CAUSAS.ORG and RENACE are collaborating in the creation of innovative content and social media platforms to facilitate civic engagement in the implementation and understanding of the judiciary reforms.

In 2013, our feature length documentary film “JUSTICIA REAL” (Royale Justice) and corresponding social media platform JUSTICIAREAL.ORG will approach Mexico’s criminal justice system reforms in a simple and entertaining way to promote a clear call to action, not only for the key stakeholders in the reforms, but also for any citizen willing to address the issue.

JUSTICIA REAL considers the tragic events occurred in Monterrey, México, at the Casino Royale (August 25^th, 2011) as a clear example of the impunity and privilege that Mexico’s current justice system provides. Our story has a positive twist as a group of empowered citizens will try to transform the burned Casino into a Museum of Justice and Tolerance.