Corbacho Daudinot v. Puig Valdes et al

Filing 1

COMPLAINT UNDER THE TORTURE VICTIM PROTECTION ACT against All Defendants. Filing fees $ 400.00 receipt number 113C-5898756, filed by MIGUEL ANGEL CORBACHO DAUDINOT. (Attachments: #1 Civil Cover Sheet, #2 Summon(s), #3 Exhibit A, #4 Exhibit B, #5 Exhibit C, #6 Exhibit D, #7 Exhibit E, #8 Exhibit F, #9 Exhibit G, #10 Exhibit H, #11 Exhibit I, #12 Exhibit J, #13 Exhibit K, #14 Exhibit L, #15 Exhibit M, #16 Exhibit N, #17 Exhibit O, #18 Exhibit P, #19 Exhibit Q, #20 Exhibit R, #21 Exhibit S, #22 Exhibit T, #23 Exhibit U)(Gonzalez, Avelino)

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Exhibit L
WORLD

FACTBOOK

of C R I M I N A L

JUSTICE

SYSTEMS

cuba
by
Ray M i c h a l o w s k i
Northern Arizona

University

This c o u n t r y report is one of m a n y p r e p a r e d for
the W o r l d F a c t b o o k of Criminal J u s t i c e Systems
under Bureau of Justice S t a t i s t i c s grant no. 90B J - C X - 0 0 0 2 to the State U n i v e r s i t y of N e w Y o r k at
Albany.
The p r o j e c t d i r e c t o r was G r a e m e R.
Newman, but r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for the a c c u r a c y of the
i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a i n e d in each report is that of
the i n d i v i d u a l author.
The contents of these
reports do not n e c e s s a r i l y reflect the views or
policies of the Bureau of Justice S t a t i s t i c s or
the U.S. D e p a r t m e n t of Justice.
GENERAL

OVERVIEW

i. Political System.
Cuba is a d e m o c r a t i c - c e n t r a l i s t
state
o r g a n i z e d a c c o r d i n g to a M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t model.
The C o m m u n i s t Party of Cuba is the only o f f i c i a l
p o l i t i c a l party. The n a t i o n a l g o v e r n m e n t is
d i v i d e d into executive, l e g i s l a t i v e and j u d i c i a l
branches. The e x e c u t i v e b r a n c h consists of a
Council of State and a Council of M i n i s t e r s . The
p r e s i d e n t of the Council of State serves as the
President of Cuba. The n a t i o n a l l e g i s l a t i v e b r a n c h
consists of an elected, u n i c a m e r a l b o d y known as
the National A s s e m b l y of Peoples Power. The
Supreme Court of Cuba serves as the n a t i o n ' s
highest judicial b r a n c h of government. It is also
the court of last resort for all appeals from
c o n v i c t i o n s in p r o v i n c i a l courts.
Below the n a t i o n a l level, Cuba is d i v i d e d
into 14 provinces, and numerous m u n i c i p a l i t i e s .
Each p r o v i n c e and m u n i c i p a l i t y has both an e l e c t e d
A s s e m b l y of Peoples Power, and a s y s t e m of courts.
Provincial courts h a n d l e f e l o n y - e q u i v a l e n t crimes,
many forms of civil c o n f l i c t m a t t e r s such as
divorce, and appeals from m u n i c i p a l courts.
M u n i c i p a l courts, in turn, are courts of first
i n s t a n c e for lesser crimes and m i n o r civil
matters. In a d d i t i o n to these formal components,
Cuba's p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m i n c o r p o r a t e s a n u m b e r of
"mass o r g a n i z a t i o n s " into its processes, such as
the C o m m u n i s t Party, the Young C o m m u n i s t League,
the Cuban F e d e r a t i o n of Women, the A s s o c i a t i o n of
Cuban Workers, and the N a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n of
Small Farmers.
2. Legal

System.

The Cuban legal s y s t e m is a c o m p o s i t e of the
three m a j o r stages of Cuban history. R e f l e c t i n g
its past as a Spanish colony, Cuba is a civil law
state that e m p h a s i z e s w r i t t e n codes rather than
p r e c e d e n t as the source of law, and the
u t i l i z a t i o n of an i n q u i s i t o r i a l s y s t e m of criminal
p r o c e d u r e similar to that of Spain and France.
I n t e r m i n g l e d with this are elements of
A n g l o - A m e r i c a n law such as habeas corpus, and a
greater s e p a r a t i o n of courts and p r o s e c u t o r s than
is n o r m a l l y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t
states.
Finally, thirty years of d e v e l o p m e n t g u i d e d
by M a r x i s t legal theory, and s h a p e d by close ties
to the former Soviet Union have added a c l e a r l y
socialist c h a r a c t e r to the Cuban legal system.
Key elements of Cuba's "socialist l e g a l i t y " are:
(i) an e m p h a s i s on s u b s t a n t i v e rather than
juridical m e a s u r e s of justice, (2) the use of law
as a p r o - a c t i v e tool for s o c i a l i s t development,
(3) l i m i t e d use of formal legal m e c h a n i s m s for the
resolution of p r i v a t e disputes, (4) the use of
informal "social courts" to resolve c o n f l i c t s such
as housing and labor disputes, (5) direct c i t i z e n
i n v o l v e m e n t in the judicial and crime control
procedures, and (6) a s y s t e m of s t a t e - o r g a n i z e d
law c o l l e c t i v e s to p r o v i d e l o w - c o s t legal services
nationwide.
3. H i s t o r y of the Criminal Justice System.
The m o d e r n h i s t o r y of Cuba b e g a n when
C h r i s t o p h e r C o l u m b u s c l a i m e d the i s l a n d for the
King of Spain in 1492. For the next 400 years
Cuba r e m a i n e d a Spanish colony. In the m i d - 1 9 t h
century, Cuban n a t i o n a l i s t s began a series of
armed struggles for Cuban independence, w h i c h
e v e n t u a l l y led to the defeat of the S p a n i a r d s in
1899. The U n i t e d States became i n v o l v e d in the
Cuban war of i n d e p e n d e n c e during its last days.
Consequently, through the s e t t l e m e n t of the
S p a n i s h - A m e r i c a n war, the U n i t e d States o b t a i n e d a
peace t r e a t y that e f f e c t i v e l y t r a n s f e r r e d
s o v e r e i g n t y over Cuba from Spain to the U n i t e d
States.
For the next 60 years U.S. b u s i n e s s and
financial i n t e r e s t s d o m i n a t e d the Cuban economy.
Several U.S. m i l i t a r y incursions in the e a r l y part
of the 20th c e n t u r y insured g o v e r n m e n t s h o s p i t a b l e
to these interests, as well as U.S. s e c u r i t y
interests. On J a n u a r y i, 1959, a r e v o l u t i o n a r y
m o v e m e n t led by Fidel Castro toppled the former
U . S . - s u p p o r t e d g o v e r n m e n t of F u l e n g c i o Batista,
b e g i n n i n g a p r o c e s s that led to the t r a n s f o r m a t i o n
of Cuba into a socialist, p l a n n e d - e c o n o m y state.
The post r e v o l u t i o n a r y era in Cuba can be d i v i d e d
into four periods. The first period,
e x t e n d i n g from 1959 to the early 1970s, was

c h a r a c t e r i z e d by r e v o l u t i o n a r y e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n
in all areas of social organization, i n c l u d i n g
g o v e r n m e n t m a n a g e m e n t and control of p r o d u c t i o n
and d i s t r i b u t i o n . The most n o t a b l e e x p e r i m e n t
within the justice s y s t e m d u r i n g this time was the
c r e a t i o n of Peoples' Courts (tribunales de base).
These courts e m p h a s i z e d informal procedures, and
u t i l i z e d o r d i n a r y citizens as lay prosecutors, lay
advocates, and lay judges rather than filling
these p o s i t i o n s with f o r m a l l y t r a i n e d jurists.
The second major p e r i o d of the r e v o l u t i o n
began in the early 1970s, and was c h a r a c t e r i z e d
by i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z a t i o n of the new e c o n o m i c and
p o l i t i c a l order. This i n c l u d e d the p a s s a g e of a
new Cuban constitution, r e o r g a n i z a t i o n of most
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e structures, and r e p l a c i n g the
p r e - r e v o l u t i o n a r y legal s y s t e m with one m o r e
suited to the i d e o l o g y and p r a c t i c e of a s o c i a l i s t
p o l i t i c a l economy.
In 1973, the Cuban g o v e r n m e n t p r o m u l g a t e d a
new Law of Judicial O r g a n i z a t i o n . This law
e s t a b l i s h e d a h i e r a r c h i c a l and more formal court
system, r e p l a c e d the p r i v a t e p r a c t i c e of law with
law c o l l e c t i v e s known as bufetes colectivos, and
s t r e n g t h e n e d the emphasis on "socialist l e g a l i t y . "
This p e r i o d was also m a r k e d by i n c r e a s i n g l y close
relations with the Soviet Union, and i n c r e a s e d
e c o n o m i c d e p e n d e n c e on C O M E C O N - the t r a d i n g bloc
of s o c i a l i s t nations.
The m i d - 1 9 8 0 s i n i t i a t e d a p e r i o d focused on
" r e c t i f i c a t i o n " of earlier errors. One c o m p o n e n t
of this era was p a s s a g e of a new penal code that
d e c r i m i n a l i z e d a number of p o l i t i c a l offenses,
reduced p e n a l t i e s for crimes overall, and
i n s t i t u t e d a broader range of a l t e r n a t i v e s to
incarceration. In the early 1990s Cuba's
s o c i a l i s t trading partners d i s a p p e a r e d with the
collapse of the Soviet bloc, u s h e r i n g in an era of
e c o n o m i c c o n t r a c t i o n termed the "special p e r i o d "
by the n a t i o n ' s leaders. In an effort to find
a l t e r n a t i v e routes to c o n t i n u e d s o c i a l i s t
development, the Cuban g o v e r n m e n t l e g a l i z e d the
use of foreign c u r r e n c y by citizens and
l i b e r a l i z e d laws g o v e r n i n g foreign investment.
CRIME
i. C l a s s i f i c a t i o n

of Crime.

* Legal classification. Under Cuban law, an act
is a crime only if it is p r o h i b i t e d by the law and
is s o c i a l l y d a n g e r o u s or harmful (socialimente
peligrosa). V i o l a t i o n s of law that do not rise to
the n e c e s s a r y level of social h a r m are c o n s i d e r e d
to be i n f r a c t i o n s (contravenciones), that is, a
n o n c r i m i n a l citation offense.
Crimes in Cuba are d i v i d e d into felony and

m i s d e m e a n o r offenses. Felony crimes are those
with a p o t e n t i a l sentence e x c e e d i n g one year
i m p r i s o n m e n t or a fine of more than 300 cuotas.
(Cuotas are units of a fine that have v a r i a b l e
value.
Thus, one p e r s o n may be s u b j e c t to a fine
of 100 cuotas at one peso each w h i l e a n o t h e r m a y
be subject to the same fine but at a rate of two
pesos per cuota.)
O f f e n s e s that m e e t this
s t a n d a r d are p r o s e c u t e d in p r o v i n c i a l courts.
Less serious m i s d e m e a n o r offenses are a d j u d i c a t e d
in m u n i c i p a l courts and carry m a x i m u m p e n a l t i e s
b e l o w the o n e - y e a r / 3 0 0 - c u o t a level.
F e l o n y - e q u i v a l e n t crimes in Cuba e n c o m p a s s a
s t a n d a r d array of offenses against p e r s o n s or
p r o p e r t y i n c l u d i n g murder, rape, assault, d e a t h or
injury by vehicle, robbery, burglary, larceny,
vehicle theft, arson, and drug trafficking.
Except for murder, rape, and robbery, each of
these o f f e n s e s also has a less serious,
m i s d e m e a n o r equivalent.
In a d d i t i o n to s t a n d a r d crimes a g a i n s t
persons, p r o p e r t y and social order, the Cuban
penal code e n u m e r a t e s various o f f e n s e s against
s o c i a l i s t organization. Central among these are
misuse of e m p l o y m e n t in a state e n t e r p r i s e for
illegal personal gain (malversacion), o b t a i n i n g
money or p r o p e r t y i l l e g a l l y c h a n n e l e d from some
state e c o n o m i c venture (receptacion), trading in
foreign c u r r e n c y (trafico de divisas), s l a u g h t e r
and d i s t r i b u t i o n of l i v e s t o c k o u t s i d e the
s o c i a l i s t d i s t r i b u t i o n s y s t e m (sacrificio ilegal),
and a t t e m p t i n g to leave the c o u n t r y w i t h o u t
c o m p l y i n g with formal e m i g r a t i o n r e q u i r e m e n t s
(salida ilegal). Rather than being o c c a s i o n a l
crimes, these offenses c o n s t i t u t e a regular part
of the criminal case load in Cuba.
* Age of criminal responsibility. The age of
criminal r e s p o n s i b i l i t y in both m u n i c i p a l and
p r o v i n c i a l courts is 16, which c o r r e s p o n d s to
the Cuban voting age.
* Drug offenses. Cuba's drug p r o h i b i t i o n is b r o a d
and nonspecific. Under Cuban law it is a felony
to produce, sell, or possess with intent to sell
any "toxic drug, or hallucinogenic, hypnotic, or
n a r c o t i c substance, or any other s u b s t a n c e w i t h a
similar effect." The p e n a l t y for this o f f e n s e is
3 to 8 years of imprisonment. Simple
p o s s e s s i o n of illegal drugs is p u n i s h a b l e by 6
months to 2 years imprisonment.
2. Crime S t a t i s t i c s
The number and rate for serious crimes are
reported by p o l i c e i n v e s t i g a t o r s to the O f f i c e of
the A t t o r n e y General in Cuba for 1988. A t t e m p t s
are i n c l u d e d only where they are crimes in

t h e m s e l v e s such as a t t e m p t e d sexual assault. The
rates are b a s e d on p o p u l a t i o n p r o j e c t i o n s from the
A t t o r n e y General of Cuba, M a y 1989.
* Murder.
* Rape.

Information

Information

not

not

obtained.

obtained.

* Theft. In 1988, there were 6,531 cases of theft
r e c o r d e d by p o l i c e i n v e s t i g a t o r s for a rate of 62
per i00,000 population.
* Serious
obtained.

drug

offense.

Information

* Crime regions. Crime rates in Cuba
s u b s t a n t i a l l y higher in the island's
cities, Havana and S a n t i a g o de Cuba,
elsewhere.

not

are
two m a i n
than

VICTIMS
i. Groups Most V i c t i m i z e d by Crime.
There is little s u r v e y data a v a i l a b l e on
v i c t i m i z a t i o n in Cuba. E t h n o g r a p h i c and a n e c d o t a l
evidence, however, suggest that there are no clear
p a t t e r n s of v i c t i m i z a t i o n by racial or e t h n i c
background. Over 500 years of i n t e r r a c i a l c o n t a c t
b e t w e e n the d e s c e n d a n t s of S p a n i s h c o l o n i s t s and
A f r i c a n slaves have p r o d u c e d a r e l a t i v e l y
h o m o g e n e o u s A f r o - C a r i b b e a n s o c i e t y in w h i c h social
d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n s t r e t c h e s along a c o n t i n u u m rather
than being c o n s t i t u t e d by sharp lines d e m a r c a t i n g
races or cultures.
D e s p i t e this h o m o g e n i z a t i o n ,
there is some
o v e r - r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of d a r k e r - s k i n n e d Cubans in
the l o w e r - i n c o m e sectors of the society, and some
i n d i c a t i o n that these Cubans may suffer s l i g h t l y
higher v i c t i m i z a t i o n rates for i n t e r p e r s o n a l
v i o l e n c e and m i n o r theft. W o m e n in Cuba, as in
many areas a r o u n d the world, are victims of b o t h
rape and d o m e s t i c violence. The r e c o r d e d
f r e q u e n c y of such offenses in Cuba, however,
appears to be lower than for both the U n i t e d
States and Latin America.
2. Victims' A s s i s t a n c e Agencies.
The p r i m a r y i n s t i t u t i o n s for a s s i s t i n g
victims of crimes are the C o m m i t t e e s for the
Defense of the R e v o l u t i o n (CDRs). The CDRs are
b l o c k - l e v e l n e i g h b o r h o o d a s s o c i a t i o n s that
offer various forms of social support to
n e i g h b o r h o o d residents, in a d d i t i o n to e n g a g i n g in
crime p r e v e n t i o n and p o l i t i c a l vigilance. V i c t i m s
of crime can o b t a i n m e d i c a l care, social w e l f a r e
assistance, a n d / o r c o u n s e l i n g services from one of
Cuba's n a t i o n w i d e s y s t e m of n e i g h b o r h o o d

"polyclinics."
3. Role of V i c t i m in Prosecution and Sentencing.
There are no special roles for victims
during p r o s e c u t i o n or sentencing, other than
providing evidence and testimony during
adjudication.
4. Victims' Rights Legislation.
There is no specific victims'
legislation in Cuba.

rights

POLICE
i. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
Policing in Cuba is organized under the
auspices of the M i n i s t r y of the Interior (MINIT),
which is d i r e c t l y responsible to the Council of
State. The MINIT is divided into three
directorates: Security, Technical Operations, and
Internal Order and Crime Prevention. The Internal
Order and Crime Prevention Section is s u b d i v i d e d
into s u b d i r e c t o r a t e s for corrections, fire
protection, and policing.
The s u b d i r e c t o r a t e for policing is
responsible for the National R e v o l u t i o n a r y Police
(PNR). The PNR encompasses u n i f o r m policing,
criminal investigation, crime prevention, juvenile
delinquency, and traffic control. The PNR is
divided into municipal divisions, each with its
own police chief. These local police agencies are
responsible to the national d i r e c t o r a t e of the
PNR, through a h i e r a r c h i c a l structure that
incorporates p r o v i n c i a l levels of oversight.
The Security division of MINIT is r e s p o n s i b l e
for p o l i c i n g crimes such as espionage, sabotage
and other offenses against the state security.
The M i n i s t r y of the Interior and the National
R e v o l u t i o n a r y Police have been closely i n t e g r a t e d
with the R e v o l u t i o n a r y Armed Forces (FAR) since
the r e v o l u t i o n a r y victory of 1959.
In addition to formal policing by the PNR,
the Cuban system of control utilizes the
Committees for the Defense of the R e v o l u t i o n (CDR)
as a u x i l i a r y eyes and ears of the police.
The CDR m a i n t a i n s nightly n e i g h b o r h o o d watches
known as la guardia to prevent crime. They deal
with juvenile deviance and assist crime victims.
The CDR is also responsible for p r o m o t i n g
compliance with a variety of n o n - c r i m i n a l
requirements such as water and e l e c t r i c i t y
conservation, pet inoculation, and public health
requirements. A c t i v e CDR members (cederistas) may
also provide the police or MINIT with i n f o r m a t i o n
about activities they consider suspicious or
deviant.

2.

Resources.

* Expenditures.
* Number

Information

of police.

not

Information

obtained.
not

obtained.

3. T e c h n o l o g y .
* A v a i l a b i l i t y of p o l i c e automobiles. Police in
m a j o r cities patrol both in cars and on foot. In
larger cities such as Havana there is a f a i r l y
high p r e v a l e n c e of p o l i c e cars.
* E l e c t r o n i c equipment. Cuban p o l i c e u t i l i z e radio
c o m m u n i c a t i o n s for dispatch, but c o m p u t e r i z e d
d i s p a t c h i n g and c o m p u t e r i z e d record k e e p i n g are
still in the d e v e l o p m e n t stages.
* Weapons. Cuban p o l i c e
a s e m i - a u t o m a t i c pistol
w e a p o n s such as a s s a u l t
anti-personnel ordnance
4. T r a i n i n g
obtained.

are t y p i c a l l y a r m e d w i t h
and a baton. O t h e r
rifles, shotguns and o t h e r
are not available.

and Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .

Information

not

5. Discretion.
* Use of force. Police may use n e c e s s a r y force to
a p p r e h e n d suspects and to d e f e n d their p e r s o n or
that of any other citizen.
* S t o p / a p p r e h e n d a suspect. Cuban law places few
formal limits on p o l i c e d i s c r e t i o n to stop or
i n t e r r o g a t e citizens. This reflects Cuba's
c h a r a c t e r as a civil law state with an
i n q u i s i t o r i a l judicial system. A central
juridical a s s u m p t i o n of this s y s t e m is that no
criminal case exists until an initial
investigation
(fase p r e p a r a t o r i a ) has d e m o n s t r a t e d
that a crime has been committed, and that a
p a r t i c u l a r person is the p r o b a b l e offender.
Consequently, b e c a u s e there is no formal criminal
case, the a r g u m e n t claims that citizens have
little need for p r o c e d u r a l p r o t e c t i o n at this
stage of the i n v e s t i g a t i v e process.
A p l a n n e d revision of the Cuban law of penal
p r o c e d u r e will p e r m i t a t t o r n e y s to enter cases as
soon as an i n d i v i d u a l has been a r r e s t e d or is
the target of an investigation. This change will
c o n s t i t u t e a s i g n i f i c a n t m o v e away from a pure
i n q u i s i t o r i a l criminal process.
* D e c i s i o n to arrest. Because arrests are u s u a l l y
part of the pre-case, i n v e s t i g a t i v e stage, the
w a r r a n t p r o c e d u r e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of A ~ g l o - A m e r i c a n
legal systems is not part of the Cuban penal

process.
* Search and seizure. The Cuban c o n s t i t u t i o n
requires that w a r r a n t s be o b t a i n e d from a court in
order to conduct a home search. W a r r a n t s m u s t
s p e c i f y the p l a c e to be s e a r c h e d and the n a t u r e of
the m a t e r i a l b e i n g sought.
A w a r r a n t is not necessary, however, if a
d o m i c i l e is also the scene of the crime. In this
case, p r o c e d u r a l law permits i n v e s t i g a t o r s to
search the p r e m i s e s and to remove any items d e e m e d
as evidence.
* C o n f e s s i o n s . Cuban p r o c e d u r a l law p r o h i b i t s
v i o l e n c e or force in o b t a i n i n g a confession, and
s p e c i f i e s that no one is r e q u i r e d to t e s t i f y
a g a i n s t h i m or herself. Suspects can m a k e w h a t e v e r
formal s t a t e m e n t s they wish r e g a r d i n g the charges
against them, i n c l u d i n g c o n f e s s i o n s of guilt.
These s t a t e m e n t s are made orally, and then
p r e s e n t e d in w r i t i n g to the s u s p e c t for signature.
Minors under the age of 16 can only make these
s t a t e m e n t s in the p r e s e n c e of p a r e n t s or other
legal guardians.
W h i l e c r i m i n a l suspects can confess guilt,
they cannot be c o n v i c t e d s o l e l y on the basis of a
confession. Rather, Cuban law requires that all
criminal cases be p r o v e n at trial u t i l i z i n g
e v i d e n c e b e y o n d the suspect's s t a t e m e n t of guilt.
6. A c c o u n t a b i l i t y .
T h e r e are no formal "watchdog" or
c i t i z e n - r e v i e w bodies d e v o t e d s p e c i f i c a l l y
o v e r s e e i n g p o l i c e in Cuba.
PROSECUTORIAL
I. Rights

AND

JUDICIAL

to

PROCESS

of the Accused.

* A c c u s e d p e r s o n s have the right to a trial by a
judicial panel. For f e l o n y - e q u i v a l e n t cases h e a r d
in p r o v i n c i a l courts, these panels c o n s i s t of five
judges, three of w h o m are t r a i n e d jurists with law
degrees, and two of w h o m are citizens chosen to
serve as lay judges. Less serious c r i m i n a l
offenses are a d j u d i c a t e d by m u n i c i p a l court panels
c o n s i s t i n g of one jurist and two lay judges.
* A s s i s t a n c e to the accused. Cuban d e f e n d a n t s
have the right to a d e f e n s e counsel. A n a t i o n w i d e
s y s t e m of law c o l l e c t i v e s
(bufetes colectivos) are
d e s i g n e d to p r o v i d e p u b l i c access to legal counsel
at s t a t e - s e t fees.
2.

Procedures.

* Preparatory

procedures

for b r i n g i n g

a suspect

to

trial. During the fase p r e p a r a t o r i a , p o l i c e
i n v e s t i g a t o r s and/or p r o s e c u t o r s a s s e m b l e a b o d y
of e v i d e n c e and witnesses. If this e v i d e n c e is
d e e m e d sufficient, the p r o s e c u t o r issues the
e q u i v a l e n t of a bill of i n d i c t m e n t (conclusiones
p r o v i s i o n a l e s ) . This d o c u m e n t is sent to the
court of first instance and to the a c c u s e d ' s
d e f e n s e attorney, if one has been i d e n t i f i e d at
that time.
* O f f i c i a l who conducts p r o s e c u t i o n . If a case is
a felony e q u i v a l e n t the p r o s e c u t i o n n o r m a l l y will
be r e p r e s e n t e d by a p r o s e c u t o r (fiscal) from the
p r o v i n c i a l office of the a t t o r n e y - g e n e r a l d u r i n g
trial. If it is a m i s d e m e a n o r - e q u i v a l e n t offense,
p r o s e c u t i o n is most often r e p r e s e n t e d by a p o l i c e
investigator.
* A l t e r n a t i v e s to trial. At this time there are
no alternatives, such as plea bargaining, to the
r e q u i r e m e n t that all crimes be a d j u d i c a t e d at
trial.
* P r o p o r t i o n of p r o s e c u t e d cases going to trial.
All crimes must be a d j u d i c a t e d at trial.
* Pre-trial i n c a r c e r a t i o n conditions.
Cuban
p r o c e d u r a l law specifies that p o l i c e cannot d e t a i n
a suspect longer than 24 hours w i t h o u t s u b m i t t i n g
the case to an investigator. The i n v e s t i g a t o r in
turn must submit the case to the s c r u t i n y of a
p r o s e c u t o r within 3 w o r k i n g days. The
p r o s e c u t o r ' s office then has a m a x i m u m of 3
w o r k i n g days w i t h i n which to either release
the suspect or submit to judicial review the plan
to keep the suspect in c u s t o d y until trial. This
review must be made by the court that will
a d j u d i c a t e the case.
The court is r e q u i r e d to
either approve d e t e n t i o n or order release w i t h i n
3 days, and its d e c i s i o n is final.
A c c o r d i n g to law, in felony cases, p r e - t r i a l
i n c a r c e r a t i o n (prision provisional) is s u p p o s e d to
be l i m i t e d to those who have c o m m i t t e d crimes that
caused p u b l i c fear (murder, rape, robbery), who
are s u s p e c t e d of m u l t i p l e offenses, or who m a y
flee p r o s e c u t i o n . Pretrial i n c a r c e r a t i o n is
d e e m e d i n a p p r o p r i a t e in all m i s d e m e a n o r cases
unless the p e r s o n has p r o d u c e d false
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n or given i n d i c a t i o n s of i m m i n e n t
flight from prosecution.
* Bail Procedure. Defendants may be r e l e a s e d
on bail p e n d i n g trial to the o v e r s i g h t of a work
place, a union, or other r e c o g n i z e d social
organization, or on their own recognizance.
* Proportion

of p r e - t r i a l

offenders

incarcerated.

A 1988 study of 982 d e f e n d a n t s s e r v e d by a law
c o l l e c t i v e in Havana r e v e a l e d that 35% w e r e
i n c a r c e r a t e d at the time of indictment.
(Crime
s p e c i f i c rates of d e t e n t i o n ranged from 61% for
felony p r o p e r t y crimes to 33% for felony o f f e n s e s
against state s e c u r i t y and 19% for t r a f f i c
o f f e n s e s leading to death or injury.
Felony
crimes a g a i n s t the e c o n o m y had a p r e - t r i a l
d e t e n t i o n rate of 40%.)
JUDICIAL

SYSTEM

i. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
The Cuban court s y s t e m consists of a S u p r e m e
Court, P r o v i n c i a l Courts, M u n i c i p a l Courts, and
M i l i t a r y Courts. The S u p r e m e Court is s u b d i v i d e d
into areas of r e s p o n s i b i l i t y
(salas) for penal,
civil and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e ,
labor, state security,
and m i l i t a r y cases. P r o v i n c i a l courts are
s i m i l a r l y divided, with the e x c l u s i o n of a
m i l i t a r y sala. There is no formal d i v i s i o n of
M u n i c i p a l Courts into j u r i s d i c t i o n a l areas,
a l t h o u g h larger m u n i c i p a l courts m a y s u b d i v i d e
into s e c t i o n s with s p e c i f i c r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .
2.

Special Courts.
T h e r e are no special courts other than the
d i v i s i o n s d e s c r i b e d above. All family m a t t e r s
such as divorce, custody, and child support are
h a n d l e d in the general civil sala of p r o v i n c i a l
courts. J u v e n i l e p r o b l e m s that are not crimes are
h a n d l e d o u t s i d e the formal court structure.
3. Judges.
* Number

of judges.

Information

* Appointment
obtained.

and q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .

PENALTIES

not obtained.

SENTENCING

AND

I. S e n t e n c i n g

Information

not

Process.

* Who d e t e r m i n e s the s e n t e n c e ?
d e t e r m i n e d by the same judicial
t e s t i m o n y and d e t e r m i n e d guilt.

S e n t e n c e s are
panel that h e a r d

* Is there a special s e n t e n c i n g h e a r i n g ?
In
m u n i c i p a l courts, s e n t e n c e s are almost always
d i c t a t e d at the time of trial. S e n t e n c e s for
felony o f f e n s e s a d j u d i c a t e d in p r o v i n c i a l courts
m a y be d i c t a t e d at the time of the trial, but are
more often issued several weeks after the trial.
C u b a n law requires that all criminal cases
be c o m p l e t e d w i t h i n 6 months after the initial
i n d i c t m e n t is issued.
One study found that

a l t h o u g h about 20% of cases e x c e e d this limit
to some degree, over 90% of all cases were
c o m p l e t e d w i t h i n 8 months of indictment.
Cuban judicial p r o c e d u r e does not s e p a r a t e
a s s e s s m e n t of the facts of a case from
c o n s i d e r a t i o n of the c h a r a c t e r of the accused.
Trial and p r e - t r i a l d o c u m e n t s as well as i n - c o u r t
testimony normally incorporate information
c o n c e r n i n g the social character, work history,
personal associations, and prior criminal record
of the defendant, which judges then i n c o r p o r a t e
into their s e n t e n c i n g decisions. Consequently,
there are no special s e n t e n c i n g hearings, and no
formal p r o c e d u r e s for g a t h e r i n g p r e - s e n t e n c i n g
i n f o r m a t i o n b e y o n d what is r e v e a l e d at trial.
* W h i c h persons have input into the s e n t e n c i n g
process?
I n f o r m a t i o n not obtained.
2. Types

of Penalties.

* Range of penalties. In 1988, the Cuban Penal
Code d e l i n e a t e d the following range of sentences:
execution, incarceration, c o r r e c t i o n a l labor with
c o n f i n e m e n t to the work site, c o r r e c t i o n a l labor
without confinement, probation, fines, and
public c h a s t i s e m e n t (la a m o n e s t a c i o n ) .
Prison s e n t e n c e s for serious crimes range
from 15 to 20 years for first d e g r e e m u r d e r to 2
to 5 years for offenses such as t r a f f i c k i n g in
foreign c u r r e n c y and b u r g l a r y of an u n i n h a b i t e d
dwelling. The sentences for some m i s d e m e a n o r
crimes can extend beyond the m a x i m u m one year
i n c a r c e r a t i o n that d i s t i n g u i s h e s t h e m from felony
offenses. For instance, simple p o s s e s s i o n of
illegal drugs or second degree theft can carry a
p e n a l t y of 6 months to 2 years of i n c a r c e r a t i o n .
The j u r i s d i c t i o n a l level in these cases is
d e t e r m i n e d by the level of the p e n a l t y sought by
the prosecutor.
* Death penalty. The death p e n a l t y is r e s e r v e d
for "heinous" crimes such as m u l t i p l e murders,
murder of a child, m u r d e r a s s o c i a t e d with torture,
or for treason. E x e c u t i o n is by firing squad.
Persons who were under the age of 20 or p r e g n a n t
at the time of the offense or at the time of
s e n t e n c i n g cannot be subject to the death penalty.
PRISON
i. Description.
* Number of p r i s o n s and type. The Cuban penal
s y s t e m consists of prisons and granjas. Prisons
are fenced and s o m e t i m e s w a l l e d facilities,
e s p e c i a l l y in the case of older prisons. Granjas

are open farms w i t h o u t gates or fences. G r a n j a s
house o f f e n d e r s c o n v i c t e d of r e l a t i v e l y m i n o r
offenses, w h i l e p r i s o n s are r e s e r v e d l a r g e l y for
f e l o n y - e q u i v a l e n t violators. S e p a r a t e s c h o o l - l i k e
f a c i l i t i e s are m a i n t a i n e d for d e l i n q u e n t s u n d e r
the age of 16.
* N u m b e r of p r i s o n
obtained.

beds.

Information

* N u m b e r of annual
obtained.

admissions.

not

Information

not

* A v e r a g e d a i l y p o p u l a t i o n / n u m b e r of prisoners.
By 1990, the p r i s o n p o p u l a t i o n in Cuba had d r o p p e d
to a r o u n d 19,000 as a result of the l i b e r a l i z e d
penal code that went into effect in 1988. This
number yields a rate of i m p r i s o n m e n t of
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 190 per I00,000 p o p u l a t i o n .
* A c t u a l or e s t i m a t e d p r o p o r t i o n s of inmates
incarcerated.
I n f o r m a t i o n not obtained.
2. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
* Administration.
Cuban p r i s o n s are a d m i n i s t e r e d
n a t i o n w i d e t h r o u g h the Penal D i r e c t o r a t e of the
M i n i s t r y of Justice.
* N u m b e r of prison
obtained.
* Training
obtained.

and

* Expenditure
obtained.
3.

Prison

guards.

Information

qualifications.

on p r i s o n

system.

not

Information

Information

not

not

Conditions.

* Remissions.

Information

not obtained.

* Work/education.
Cuban inmates are e x p e c t e d to
c o m p l e t e the e q u i v a l e n t of a high school d e g r e e if
they do not have one. If they do not have a trade,
they are e x p e c t e d to learn one.
Inmates not i n v o l v e d in an e d u c a t i o n a l
p r o g r a m are e x p e c t e d to work. P r i s o n e r s are p a i d
the same wage for their work in p r i s o n that they
w o u l d r e c e i v e on the outside. T h e y are e x p e c t e d
to c o n t r i b u t e o n e - t h i r d of this income to their
u p k e e p in prison, the r e m a i n d e r is d e v o t e d to
s u p p o r t i n g any dependents, and for a s s o r t e d
p u r c h a s e s in prison.
* Amenities/privileges.
m e d i c a l care c o m p a r a b l e

Cuban inmates receive
to that o u t s i d e the

prison. Both male and female p r i s o n e r s are
p e r m i t t e d conjugal visits from formal or
c o m m o n - l a w spouses a p p r o x i m a t e l y e v e r y 2 months.
The actual number of visits may be i n c r e a s e d or
d e c r e a s e d a c c o r d i n g to conduct.
EXTRADITION AND TREATIES
* Extradition. Cuban citizens cannot be
e x t r a d i t e d for crimes c o m m i t t e d in other
countries. N o n - C u b a n s can be e x t r a d i t e d for
crimes c o m m i t t e d in other countries in a c c o r d a n c e
with b i - l a t e r a l e x t r a d i t i o n treaties.
* E x c h a n g e and t r a n s f e r
not obtained.

of prisoners.

Information

* S p e c i f i e d conditions. As an e x p r e s s i o n of
Cuba's s o c i a l i s t and " a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t " ideology,
Cuban law s p e c i f i e s that anyone sought for an
offense related to "fighting imperialism,
colonialism, n e o - c o l o n i a l i s m , fascism, r a c i s m or
for d e f e n d i n g the d e m o c r a t i c p r i n c i p l e s or rights
of w o r k i n g people" cannot be extradited.
In 1993, Cuba r e t u r n e d two drug t r a f f i c k e r s
caught in Cuban waters to the U n i t e d States to
stand trial. This was viewed by m a n y as m a r k i n g a
new era of c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n the U n i t e d States
and Cuba in the war a g a i n s t drug t r a f f i c in the
Caribbean.

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Ray Michalowski
Professor and Chair
Department of Criminal Justice
Northern Arizona University
P.O. Box 15005
Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5005
United States
Tel:

602-523-9519