The U.S. government is going to fund the Mexican court and justice system reform by providing $68 million over five years, The Associated Press reported.

The plan to modernize the court system, as well as train judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys has been named Promoting Justice.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico made the announcement Friday, adding that some of Mexico's 31 states have already implemented parts of the reform -- such as speeding up trial and allowing non-prison sentences.

In addition, there will be a push to change the system to encourage questioning and cross-examination in open court, and defendants will be considered innocent until proven guilty.

Currently, under Mexican criminal law, the accused is guilty until proven innocent.

Since 2008, the U.S. has been funding major reforms and aid to the Mexican government with special attention on helping the country fight its internal criminal network.

The Merida Initiative, signed in December 2008 by both countries, was geared toward stopping the flow of drugs and weapons and supporting Mexico's legal and security institutions, according to the U.S. embassy.

To date, the U.S. has invested $1.2 billion in training and equipment, and in April the Congressional Research Service reported that President Barack Obama requested $115 million for the upcoming fiscal year. Congress has appropriated a total of $2.4 billion for the initiative.

The Mexican government has been effective in sharing intelligence with the U.S. and being able to take down drug cartel leaders and key players in the last several years.

After Felipe Calderón and George W. Bush signed the agreement, Calderon sought to make drug trafficking and organized crime his top priority.

The government was able to take down leaders from all of the major trafficking organizations, and in 2009, the U.S. began to see an increase in extraditions. The Mexican government had identified 37 most wanted criminals, of which 25 had been captured by 2012.

However, few of those who were detained in Mexico were successfully prosecuted, the CRS report stated.