The Civil Law System And The United States Of America

Venezuela is a country located on the Caribbean Coast on South America. Research proves that, Christopher Columbus discovered Venezuela in the year 1498 (Coleman, 2015, p.7). The country now consists roughly of about 33 million inhabitants, with about 23 states. Over the years Venezuela has had a large increase in crime in recent years and is now considered to be one of the most corrupt nations in the world. This is due to the extremely high murder rate and the problems in drug trafficking. Ultimately, further examination of Venezuela’s laws, courts, law enforcement, and prison will help to better understand the differences in their criminal justice system and the United States of America. Venezuela is based on a civil law system, based on†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, Supreme Court Judges are now elected, which has further politicized the system. (P.31) The rule of law in Venezuela is considered relatively weak as well as the government in the country. Venezuela is ranked the lowest in all of Latin America in regards to its rule of law or legal environment as of 2015. The judges are proposed by the Committee of Judicial Postulation and appointed by the National Assembly in Venezuela. Judges usually serve non-renewable 12-year terms. Also, Venezuela is not a part of the International Court of Justice. The people of Venezuela are usually incapacitated if they commit a crime including the most serious crimes because they do not have the death penalty. Venezuelan prisons are considered violent, overcrowded, and corrupt. In the country of Venezuela, there are about 33 to 34 prisons. Initially the prisons were built to hold about 15,000 but now there are about 45,000 inmates in the prisons to date. The numbers of the inmates incarcerated is growing steadily due to the high drug trafficking. Also, every year large numbers of inmates are killed each year. Business Source Complete (2011) analysis discovered the following: Most prisoners do not have access to basic services such as potable water, food or functional restrooms, unless they can pay for them. They also generally lack access to basic medical care -- La Pica prison has only one medical professional for a