The Criminal Justice Systems And The United States

The criminal justice systems in Bolivia and the United States have different structures with some similarities. I was born in La Paz Bolivia and we will be taking a look into Bolivia and the U.S’s governmental and criminal justice systems. Bolivia is a republic with a democratic government. The U.S. also has a democratic government. The Napoleonic code (civil code) and Spanish law compose Bolivia’s legal system, whereas the US is based on common law. The U.S. and Bolivia may have their similarities and differences, but one key difference is the instability of the Bolivian nation throughout its history, while the US has shown to be more stable as a nation (except for the civil war). Throughout this paper, we will be comparing and†¦show more content†¦About 60 percent of the population is Indian, about 30 percent are mestizo, and 10 percent are of white descendants (Gamarra 1991). Geographical and regional areas maintain racial and cultural differences. These are as include the Altiplano (high plains) in the Andes, Mountains, the llanos (low lands near the amazon basin), and the Yungas (semitropical valleys). Before we take a look into the historical background of Bolivia, it is important to point out that this nation is amongst the least united countries in the South American continent. The Governmental system in Bolivia can be traced back to the kingdoms of Aymaras and Quechuas. Both of these kingdoms relied on legal systems that were both strong and had sophisticated systems. First, the Aymaras’ government was considered a confederative type of government with communal clans (Ayllus). The Jilacatas ruled these communal clans (Gamarra 1991). Elected officials that led the confederation of communal clans were called Mallkus. Under the Aymaran confederative system, elders that debated topics with regards to the State were called Ulakjas. The Quechua government system had some similarities but was different from that of the Aymara system. For example, in the Quechua kingdom was a monarchical system, where every Ayllu or communal clan had a leader Curaca or also called a Camayoj.