Wrongfully Imprisoned Individual Is Allegedly Tortured In Foreign Prison

Case Overview

This case involves an American citizen who was mistakenly imprisoned by authorities in Mexico on a charge of embezzlement. While in prison, the American citizen was severely beaten, stripped, and starved by the facility guards. The prisoner was subjected to these conditions for 3 weeks before he was released. It was alleged that the American citizen received this treatment in part because of his wealth and citizenship status. An expert in Mexican prisons was sought to comment on the conditions and standard procedures within such facilities.

Questions to the Corrections expert and their responses

Please briefly describe your familiarity with Mexican prisons.

I am the director of the Center for US and Mexican Law at the University of Houston Law Center, it is the only academic center in the nation and worldwide that compares legislation between Mexico and the US. I have studied prisons in Mexico, France, and Spain, from a comparative law point of view, focused on access to healthcare in prisons. Overall, I've focused a large part of my career studying prisons conditions.

How might an inmate's wealth affect his or her experience inside a Mexican prison?

Technically, an inmate's wealth should not affect the experience they would have in prisons in Mexico. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are situations in which it changes their experience dramatically. Prison conditions in Mexico do not meet the basic standards set by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

About the expert

This highly qualified Mexican prison expert has over 20 years of experience studying prisons in Mexico, France, and Spain, from a comparative law point of view. After earning his BS in economics from Lycée Français de Madrid he went on to complete a masters in European law from the University Complutense of Madrid ? Spain and a PhD in legal studies from the University of Paris. Previously, this expert was a professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, a visiting professor at the Anáhuac University in México, and an associate professor of law at University of Pau et des Pays de l?Adour. Currently, this expert is the director of the center for US and Mexican Law at a top university in TX.