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Data and Indicators

The Project on Reforming the Administration of Justice in Mexico will serve as a resource for academics, policy makers, non-governmental organizations, and other interested parties by providing access to existing data and statistics on multiple aspects of Mexico's criminal justice system.

Data will be compiled in four main areas consistent with the framework of this project:

Crime and Criminal Behavior

Indictors on crime and delinquency are notoriously fraught with problems, particularly in Mexico. Government figures are often unrepresentative of the total number of crimes committed. This is can be due to inadequate record-keeping or even political manipulation of statistics by authorities. Under-reporting by victims who may be unwilling or afraid to report to authorities for a variety of reasons also limits the reliability of such figures.

Nonetheless, the rise of crime as an urgent public policy priority is substantiated by government figures and an increasing pool of other indicators developed by international and domestic non-governmental organizations, as well as surveys that account for victimization and perceptions of crime. The links below provide access to a variety of indicators about crime, including data made available by partner institutions and participants of this project.

Crime Statistics in Mexico, Historical Series by Pablo Piccato:
This data set was compiled by Dr. Pablo Piccato (Columbia University) for the Project on Reforming the Administration of Justice in Mexico. The data set includes multiple types of crime registered throughout the 20th Century. Major trends indicated by these data suggest that crime has gone down in Mexico over the last hundred years, though the last two decades have seen a noticeable upswing in criminal activity. Presently, the data set and descriptions are available only in Spanish.

Public Security in Mexico: Statistics and Analysis:
The Arango Interactive Diagnostic Statistics Database: An interactive database of contemporary crime indicators (1980s-present), with geographic information system applications, compiled by Dr. Arturo Arango.

Crime Victimization Survey conducted by Pablo Parás:

Crime Links:

Law Enforcement and Judicial Institutions

Information on law enforcement and judicial institution in Mexico can be very difficult to obtain, particularly where corruption, organizational fractionalization, and even legitimate security concerns reduce the reliability and consistency of data. The Project on Reforming the Administration of Justice in Mexico will compile existing data on law enforcement and judicial institutions, drawing on currently available sources.

Law Enforcement Links:

Social Participation and Responses to Mexico's Criminal Justice System

This project places significant emphasis on the relationship between society and the criminal justice system, including the roles and attitudes of citizens in response to crime, government institutions, and public policies. Below are a number of links that provide information and indicators on social participation in Mexico's criminal justice system.

Social Paricipation Links:

U.S.-Mexican Law Enforcement & Security

This binational project pays special attention to the working relationship between Mexico and the United States in matters of law enforcement and security, particularly in the San Diego-Tijuana region. The links listed below provide access to useful information regarding binational challenges and opportunities for collaboration.

U.S.-Mexican Links:

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