The Rule of Law in Belize
This report represents the voices of people in Belize and their experiences with the rule of law in their country.
The Rule of Law in Belize: Key Findings from the General Population Poll 2021 presents question level data drawn from the General Population Poll (GPP), an original data source designed and collected by the World Justice Project. To provide a more in-depth view of trends in perceptions of rule of law in Belize, this report also presents select findings over time and compared to Belize’s regional peers in Central America.
The GPP was conducted in November of 2021 through face-to-face interviews to a nationally representative sample of 2,004 Belizean households. This poll was designed to capture data on the experiences and perceptions of ordinary people regarding a variety of themes related to the rule of law.
Section 1: Accountability and Fundamental Freedoms
1. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY Belizeans have more pessimistic views on government accountability than respondents from regional peer countries. Only 22% of Belizean respondents believe that a high-ranking government official would be prosecuted and punished if they were to embezzle public funds for personal benefit, while this figure ranged from 38% to 51% in regional peer countries. Beliefs regarding checks on executive power have remained mostly stable in Belize, with 70% of respondents stating that they believe the prime minister should always obey laws and court decisions, even if they think they are wrong (73% of respondents reported the same in 2019).
2. FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS When it comes to guarantees of fundamental freedoms, Belizeans have mixed views. Belizeans believe that all dimensions of the freedom of expression have improved since 2019. Respondents have relatively positive views about their right to participate in political processes, despite some declines since 2017. In contrast, Belizeans hold more critical views on electoral freedoms, with only 59% reporting that they believe local government officers are elected through a clean process. While three out of four Belizeans agree that religious freedoms are effectively guaranteed, the percentage of respondents who believe that religious minorities can observe their holy days fell from 93% in 2017 to 75% in 2021.
3. CORRUPTION Perceptions of corruption in Belize improved across all institutions between 2019 and 2021. Belizeans believe that members of the National Assembly are the most corrupt, with half (50%) of respondents reporting that most or all members of the legislative branch are involved in corrupt practices. Police officers are perceived to be the second most corrupt, with 45% of respondents reporting that most or all police officers are involved in corrupt practices. Belizeans believe the judiciary is the least corrupt institution, with roughly one-third of respondents believing most or all prosecutors (35%), public defense attorneys (32%), and judges and magistrates (29%) are corrupt. While their perceptions have varied since 2013, respondents believe levels of corruption are lower in every institution since 2019.
4. BRIBERY VICTIMIZATION Belizeans generally pay bribes more frequently than respondents in regional peer countries. In the last three years, Belizeans reported paying bribes most often to request a government permit or document (27%) or to obtain a birth certificate or government-issued ID (25%). The only instance in which respondents from a regional peer country reported a higher bribery victimization rate was when requesting public benefits or assistance: 12% of Belizeans reported paying bribes to access public benefits or assistance, compared to 21% of Panamanians and 13% of Hondurans. 5 TRUST Despite improvements since 2017, Belizeans have low levels of trust in the public and state institutions. Less than half of the respondents in Belize (48%) reported having some or a lot of trust in people living in their community, followed by 42% trusting judges and magistrates and 40% trusting public defense attorneys. Fewer than 40% of Belizeans express at least some trust in national and local government officers and only 35% of Belizeans report trusting police officers. That being said, perceptions of trust across these groups have sustained improvements in Belize since 2017.
Section 2: Police and Criminal Justice
6. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM Belizeans report higher levels of confidence in all dimensions of the criminal justice system than in 2018, though timeliness continues to be a top issue. Over half of the respondents in Belize are confident that the criminal justice system provides equal service regardless of where people live (57%), ensures equal treatment of victims (56%), and safeguards the presumption of innocence (56%). In both 2018 and 2019, Belizeans reported the lowest levels of confidence in the criminal justice system’s ability to deal with cases promptly and effectively (30% in 2018 and 44% in 2021), though this figure has improved.
7. CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACTORS Belizeans have mixed views on key criminal justice actors. Belizeans reported having the highest levels of trust in judges and magistrates, with 42% of respondents reporting that they have at least some trust in them, followed by public defense attorneys (40%) and prosecutors (36%). Despite these low levels of trust, only 29% of respondents believe that most or all judges and magistrates are involved in corrupt practices, followed by public defense attorneys (32%) and prosecutors (35%). Over half of Belizean respondents believe that judges, magistrates, and prosecutors do their job well, while only 40% of Belizeans believe that public defense attorneys do their job well.
8. POLICE Police Perceptions Belizeans have moderate perceptions of police performance. Over half of Belizeans believe that the police resolve security problems in their community (64%), serve the interests of their community (60%), and serve the interests of regular citizens (58%). Meanwhile, only 43% of respondents believe that the police respond to crime reports and perform effective and lawful investigations. Additionally, while most Belizeans (68%) believe that the police treat all people with kindness and respect, only 47% of respondents believe that the police do not use excessive force.
Over half (55%) of Belizean respondents believe both that the police are not involved in corrupt practices and that they investigate crimes in an independent manner. Perceptions on police accountability in Belize are generally lower, with only 35% of respondents reporting that they believe that the police are investigated for misconduct and only 36% reporting they believe that the police are held accountable for seeking bribes. Just over one-third (35%) of respondents reported that they trust the police.
Police Interactions
Belizeans tend to have more positive perceptions of the police during voluntary interactions as opposed to involuntary interactions. Nineteen percent of Belizean respondents voluntarily contacted the police in the last 12 months. Of those respondents, 32% were reporting a crime or requesting help or information. Most respondents who contacted the police felt that the police controlled the situation (61%) and that the police listened to them (83%) during the interaction. Nearly a quarter (24%) of Belizean respondents reported having had an involuntary contact with the police in the last 12 months. Of those who had an involuntary interaction, respondents most frequently reported that they were stopped for a routine check or so that the police could provide assistance (46%). An overwhelming majority (91%) of Belizeans who had an involuntary interaction reported that the police controlled the situation, though only 65% believe that the police had a legitimate reason to stop them.
9. COMMUNITY POLICING, VIGILANTE JUSTICE, AND TRUST Belizeans who interact more frequently with the police tend to have more trust in the police. Belizean respondents who reported seeing the police more frequently in their neighborhood also reported having higher trust in the police. Conversely, those who reported that the police rarely or never patrol their neighborhood have lower levels of trust in the police, are less likely to believe that the police resolve security problems, and are less likely to believe that police act according to the law. Belizeans who reported feeling unsafe in their neighborhood at night or who think the police are involved in corrupt practices tend to have lower levels of trust and are less likely to believe that the police resolve security problems in their community.
10. CRIME VICTIMIZATION Fourteen percent of Belizean respondents were a victim of at least one crime in the past year. When asked about the crime that they most recently experienced, most respondents reported being a victim of a property crime (10%), followed by crimes against life and integrity (8%) and corruption, financial, and commercial crimes (3%). Of the respondents who were victims of crime, only 44% reported the crime and, of those, 75% filed an official crime report. The most common reason listed by Belizeans for not reporting the crime was the belief that reporting would not help (39%). In Belize, men, people who are financially secure, and individuals in urban areas were victims of crime more often than other demographic groups in 2021. The frequency of crime reporting was lowest among women, financially secure individuals, and respondents from urban areas.
11. VICTIM SUPPORT Most Belizeans are not confident that crime victims receive adequate resources and protection. A minority of respondents in Belize believe crime victims receive effective and timely medical attention (36%), receive information and legal advice when going to the authorities (38%), or are believed when they report a crime (39%). Respondents are more confident that crime victims are addressed by the police using accessible language (58%) and that crime victims are guaranteed their rights in criminal justice proceedings (52%).
Section 3: Gender, Security and Migration
12. GENDER ROLES AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Belizean men and women have similar opinions about family roles, though views toward domestic violence differ. Both men (87%) and women (84%) agree that a man should be responsible for all of his family’s expenses. The largest difference between men and women’s opinions on gender roles is evident in their beliefs on childrearing, with 37% of men and 30% women agreeing that women who work outside of their home neglect their children. When asked what actions respondents would take in response to domestic violence from a partner, 29% of men and 35% of women said that they would call the police. Only 8% of men said that they would hit their partner back and 4% of women said that they would not do anything.
13. SECURITY Belizeans felt safer in 2021 than in past years and perceptions of safety are generally consistent across most sociodemographic characteristics. Most respondents report feeling safe walking in their neighborhood at night (73%), marking a 27-point increase from 46% of respondents in 2019. The majority of respondents (60%) also reported feeling safe riding the bus. Twenty-two percent of Belizeans believe that the most frequent crime in their neighborhood is gang and youth violence, followed closely by street violence (21%) and domestic violence against women (17%). Belizeans who were previously a victim of a crime and/or do not have a high school diploma are slightly less likely to feel safe or very safe while walking in their neighborhood at night than respondents with other sociodemographic characteristics.
14. INTERNAL MIGRATION Twenty-eight percent of respondents in the cities of San Ignacio and Santa Elena reported having migrated there from another city in Belize. Fewer respondents reported having migrated to either Belize City (14%) or Belmopan (10%). In Belize City and Belmopan, most respondents reported better economic or educational opportunities as their reason for migration, whereas in San Ignacio and Santa Elena, the highest reported reason for migrating was family reasons. Respondents who are financially insecure are more likely to have migrated within Belize.
15. INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION One in five Belizeans would prefer to move permanently to another country. However, only 10% of respondents reported having made plans to move internationally in the next 12 months. Twenty-two percent of respondents from San Ignacio and Santa Elena would prefer to move to another country, while respondents from Belmopan are the most likely to have had made plans to move internationally in the subsequent 12 months. Across all cities, the most common reason behind a desire to migrate was better economic or educational opportunities. Respondents who are younger than 30, have previously attempted to move to the United States, have been a victim of a crime in the last 12 months, and/or are financially insecure are more likely to have made plans to move internationally.
16. MIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES Ten percent of Belizeans have attempted to migrate to the United States. The majority (60%) of respondents who attempted to enter the United States were successful. Of that group, the most common reason for leaving the US was family or social reasons (32% of respondents chose this option), while 23% said they had changed their mind. Forty percent of respondents who reported having attempted to migrate to the United States did not end up entering the country. Of those, 44% were unable to enter because they did not receive correct permits or visas, 27% did not enter because they changed their mind, and 14% did not enter because they ran out of funds.