ABSTRACT
By 2012, the Mexican federal* penitentiary system was at a crossroads in its history. Mexico had been in the midst of a war on organized crime since president Felipe Calderon (PAN, 2006-2012) took office. While Mexican presidents as early as Carlos Salinas de Gortari (PRI, 1988-1994) and Ernesto Zedillo (PRI, 1994-2000) had attempted to fight organized crime, Calderon greatly accelerated the government’s efforts. Calderon’s hardline policies triggered a backlash that intensified violence in the short run. The homicide rate in the country increased from approximately 10/100,000 citizens in 2006 to 24/100,000 in 2010, the latter about 5 times as high as that of the US.† Calderon’s successor Enrique Peña Nieto (PRI, 2012-present) vowed in his presidential campaign to reduce the violence in Mexico.
