The visita de cárcel of the Audiencias of the Indies

A whole title of the Laws of the Indies orders judges into the jails. Two oidores every Saturday afternoon, three in Lima and Mexico, the whole court at the three Pascuas, and in Mexico City two oidores each Saturday in the two jails of the Indians. The visit could free, but not sentence. Its stated reason is that many prisoners "son forasteros, y no tienen quien los defienda" — and its printed limits are as revealing as its reach.