newspeak

via El Universal – DF – DF: 70% de reos, por robo de mercancías.

This is a really interesting article. El U is famed for being a, well, trashy version of a newspaper, kind of like The Sun but with a distinctive Mexican twist. (I grew up with some of this….) So it’s not uncommon to find an article touting the importance of sunscreen and illustrated by a gallery of bikini-clad big-breasted women. Sigh. (And it very much participates in the general campaign to distract attention from the collapse of large sections of society in Mex.)

But it also does real journalism. Like this article, which points out that, in Mexico City, the capital, of the 41K prisoners 70% are incarcerated for minor robbery, often for food, clothes and other personal articles. And it seems that the principal store robbed is WalMart, an unfortunate choice: WalMart prosecutes even the most minor thefts to prison, without pardon, according to internal policy.

Is this a useful or constructive policy? I doubt it.