[3] In July 1998 Venezuela's criminal law was radically reformed, with the replacement of the 1926 code with the Código Orgánico Procesal Penal.
[3] The indictment and police investigation process was now controlled by prosecutors rather than judges, and suspects had to be charged within 24 hours.
[3] Plea bargaining was accepted, and in some cases defendants could avoid punishment by making restitution to their victims.
[3] However, the radical package of reforms, partly inspired by Germany's "liberal code, low crime, and notably small incarcerated population"[3] ignored the dominant Venezuelan culture "in which the only conceivable form of punishment is prison or corporal punishment".
[3] The first reform, in March 2000, [3] among other changes reinstated the old 72-hour time limit for judicial decision on imprisonment.
[4] In addition, it banned the commercial sale and private import of firearms and ammunition, following a public consultation showing strong support for the measure.