This is volume two of a four-volume study of criminal legislation in Latin America. The entire study covers 21 countries. With some variations for individual countries, the criminal laws and statutes cover offense classification and seriousness rankings' aggravating and extenuating circumstances in the commission of a criminal act; offender classification; criteria for determining defendants' competency to stand trial, such as diminished or nonexistent criminal responsibility; and penalties. Also covered are statute of limitations, definitions of political crimes, and definitions of other crimes. The sections devoted to each country are preceded by a detailed table of contents. In addition, the section devoted to Mexico includes material on juvenile courts and protection and treatment programs and institutions for juvenile offenders. For the remaining volumes, see NCJ 73450 and 73453-54.