mexico city mexico prison population fall fifth peak 2014 few people lock new criminal justice system experts say case fall apart high bar police conduct standards evidence number people imprison drop 19.8 percent record 258,563 september 2014 accord statistics national security commission cns mean first time 20 years technically bed inmates drop prison population coincide spike murder record level politicians link rise crime u.s.-backed 2008 reform introduce modernize mexico opaque slow justice system adopt many state 2014 fully force mid-2016 data show few people enter prison even justice experts support reform say police prosecutors struggle make watertight case due lack train new system across country eight years make transformation say maria novoa criminal justice expert think tank mexico evalua either institutions train people novoa say police detain people fear could make mistake hold liable also say prosecutors overuse rule allow suspect face criminal process liberty rather try ask judge detain 2016 37 percent few people enter state prisons prior year accord late data national statistics institute inegi contrary political rhetoric few also let data show neither mexico attorney general office federal police return request comment 2008 reform move mexico adversarial justice system oral trials inquisitive one mostly do paper deadline june 2016. radically change role police prosecutors give police great responsibility raise evidentiary standard prosecutors must reach get conviction also limit pre-trial detention bring end practice people lock years without trial 2017 first time 20 years country enough space prisoners uneven distribution across country number federal inmates state facilities mean prisons least 13 state still overcrowd facilities think tank cidac estimate last year reform would take 11 years take hold properly due lack police train high quality investigations always know new system work people would train lot resistance lack interest state governments say vicente sanchez professor college northern border governors prosecutors blame new system want undo mexico prison population drop police prosecutors bungle case