Cheap car rentals Mexico - Criminal Penalties

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Criminal Penalties

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While traveling in Mexico , U.S. citizens are subject to Mexico 's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Americans who commit illegal acts have no special privileges and are subject to full prosecution under the Mexican judicial system. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Mexico 's laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned.

Prison conditions in Mexico can be extremely poor. In many facilities food is insufficient in both quantity and quality, and prisoners must pay for adequate nutrition from their own funds. Most Mexican prisons provide poor medical care, and even prisoners with urgent medical conditions receive only a minimum of attention. There have been cases in which Mexican police officials have been accused of torturing criminal suspects, including U.S. citizens, to extract confessions. In recent cases U.S. citizens have been brutalized, beaten, and even raped while in police custody. For further information, please see the Department of State's Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Mexico at http://www.state.gov.

The Mexican government has announced an aggressive program to discourage sexual tourism and to punish severely those who engage in sexual activity with minors. Soliciting the services of a minor for sexual purposes is illegal in Mexico , and is punishable by imprisonment. In addition, exiting the United States for the purpose of engaging in sexual relations with minors is a violation of U.S. federal law, punishable by up to ten years in a U.S. prison.