Reforming the Criminal Procedure System in Latin America
![handle is hein.journals/thlp9 and id is 31 raw text is: NOTE
REFORMING THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE SYSTEM IN LATIN AMERICA
JAMES L. BISCHOFF*
SUMMARY
I. INTRODUCTION: THE Two GOALS OF CRIMINAL-JUSTICE SYSTEMS ....................... 29
II. THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACCUSATORIAL/INQUISITORIAL
D IC H O T O M Y .......................................................................................................................... 31
III. INSTRUCTION AND TRIAL UNDER LATIN AMERICA'S INQUISITORIAL SYSTEM ........ 34
A. Instruction Under the Inquisitorial System .............................................................. 35
B. Trial Under the Inquisitorial System ....................................................................... 36
IV. PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM LATIN AMERICA'S DISTORTED INQUISITORIAL
P R O C E SS ................................................................................................................................. 37
A. The Instruction Judge's Multiple and Conflicting Roles ....................................... 37
B. Excessive Police Control over the Investigation ..................................................... 38
C. Corruption, Improper Delegation, and Fusion of Roles ....................................... 38
D. The Absence of Abbreviated Procedures and Lengthy Pretrial Incarceration ......... 39
E. De Facto Restrictions on the Right to Defense ....................................................... 40
F. Trial as a Rubber Stamp for the Determinations Made During the
In stru ctio n ............................................................................................................. 40
V. RECENT REFORMS ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH TRUE ACCUSATORIAL
SYSTEM S IN LATIN A M ERICA ........................................................................................ 41
A . Instruction After the Reform s .................................................................................. 42
B . Trial A ft er the R eform s .............................................................................................. 43
C. Redefinition of the Prosecutor's Role ....................................................................... 44
J.D. candidate, The University of Texas School of Law, May 2004 and M.A. candidate, The University of
Texas Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, May 2004. B.A. in History and B.A. in Spanish. University of
Kentucky, December 1998. The author wishes to thank Professor Jos6 Serna de ]a Garza of the Universidad Aut6noma
de M6xico, Professor and Judge Julio C~sar del Aguila of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, and Mr. Brian
Treacy of Checchi and Company Consulting for their guidance in the preparation of this note.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/thlp9&div=6&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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