Amaya Martinez
MIT Department: Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ariel White
Research Supervisor: Alejandro Frydman
Undergraduate Institution: Amherst College
Hometown: Maryland
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Amaya Khemani Martinez (he/him/his) is a rising junior at Amherst College pursuing a double major in Political Science and Mathematics. Being of both Indian and Mexican heritage, he is passionate about enabling sustainable globalization and international cooperation. While at Amherst College and the MSRP program at MIT, Amaya has conducted research on Latin American politics pertaining to drug cartels. He hopes to continue this research through a senior thesis and PhD program, and eventually contribute to crafting more effective hemispheric anti-narcotic policy. Amaya is an excellent communicator, outlining clear goals and fostering an amicable work environment. His adaptability and passion for learning enables him to draw strength and motivation from professional challenges. Additionally, Amaya is adventurous and enjoys immersing himself in diverse activities, from SCUBA diving to playing for the Amherst rugby team. He also has played in jazz ensembles on bass and guitar, loving all things music.
Abstract
The Impact of Cartel Presence on Implementation of Judicial Reform in Mexico
Amaya Martinez
Department of Political Science, Amherst College
To combat increasing levels of cartel violence and ineffective legal proceedings in Mexico, the Nueva Sistema de Justicia Penal (NSJP) was crafted and implemented between 2008 and 2016 to shift the country from an inquisitorial justice system to accusatorial. Previous studies have found that the NSJP has not significantly decreased homicide rates or increased public security, but have offered little information as to why the reforms failed on these fronts. This study examines how implementation success varies between states with greater or lesser cartel presence. Through analysis of government reports, interviews with judicial sector employees, and municipal-level judicial administrative data for the Mexican states of Michoacán and Puebla, this study hypothesizes that in municipalities with greater cartel presence, their legal institutions are less equipped to effectively prosecute under NSJP. In addition, public sense of security and crime reportingis also hypothesized to be lower in drug states. This research contributes to a greater study which will further explore whether judicial reform has increased the capacity of the Mexican legal system to combat cartel activities.