ABSTRACT
There are four hard, simple facts that can straightforwardly explain the lack of a systematic methodology for questioning suspects at the Mexican public prosecutor offices: (1) 98 percent of committed crimes are not reported (Zepeda, 2004); (2) 93 percent of detainees were caught in flagrante (Magaloni, 2007); (3) 46.4 percent of the confessions are obtained through violence or extortion (Prison Population Survey, 2014 – N: 1,256); and (4) 90 percent of those processed were sentenced solely on the accused’s confession along with – police – statements as additional evidence (Fondevila, in preparation). There is no need to go any further to see that – except in very few cases – there is no criminal investigation in Mexico City. Public prosecutor offices limit themselves to legally process the cases that they receive and decide to pursue without carrying out any criminal investigation. Without scientific investigation of crimes, the interrogation of suspects in order to obtain new information is not a common tool used in police work. Interrogation is not a method of investigation, but a way of judicializing crimes.
