Mexico: death penalty and chemical castration

When a heinous crime takes place in Mexico , such as the case of Ingrid Escamilla and Fátima Cecilia , certain groups raise their voices to demand the implementation of the death penalty to punish sexual abuse and femicide , so that these type of penalty sets a precedent and discourages other from perpetrating these brutal crimes .

This time, appealing to the demands made by the feminist movement , lawmakers from the Green Party ( Partido Verde ) and Morena are proposing the implementation of the death penalty in order to punish crimes such as rape , femicide , and infanticide . This proposal goes hand in hand with the proposal to chemically castrate those who sexually abuse children.

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These proposals are the result of the popular perception that prison is not enough to punish these terrible crimes against women and children. Society also feels like prison secures food and shelter to criminals ; moreover, it is widely believed that when criminals leave prison, they are specialized in many other crimes. Additionally, some people think that if a rapist or murderer dies, their possible victims are safe since serial killers such as the “ Monster of Ecatepec ” can no longer hurt women, since this criminal said that if he ever was released from prison, he would continue killing women.

In Mexico, the death penalty was reserved for treason and was banned in the Constitution since 2005, therefore, it would require a new legal framework in order to be implemented once again. According to lawmakers who have proposed these penalties , harsher prison sentences or life in prison for murderers and rapists didn’t have an impact on femicide rates and on the contrary, gender-based crime has increased.

Nevertheless, the truth is that the death penalty doesn’t halt crime rates. For example, the countries that have implemented this punishment have the same crime rates as before or they have increased. Additionally, it is a fact that the proposal is a populist measure . Mexican politicians have to demand the improvement of the justice system before proposing new penalties and not focus on generating false empathy and promoting revenge.

Recommended: Why toughen the punishments?

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