<p>Globally, one-third of the almost 12 million individuals who are incarcerated remain unsentenced. This figure is monitored as part of the Sustainable Development Goals as it highlights disparities in access to justice. In Mexico, this issue is pronounced, with 42.3% of prisoners unsentenced, and surpassing the rates of the United States, Finland, and other countries. This paper studies the years of life lost in pretrial detention in Mexico, focusing on its duration and associated legal and sociodemographic factors. Using data from the National Survey of the Population Deprived of Liberty (ENPOL 2021), we employ discrete-time event history models to analyze 50,787 cases. Results show that pretrial detention durations vary significantly by legal factors, such as type of crime, detention authority, and <i>in flagrante delicto</i> detentions, as well as extralegal factors, such as gender and education. Crimes requiring mandatory pretrial detention and federal detentions are associated with prolonged incarceration without sentencing. Women and individuals with lower education levels face distinct inequalities in accessing justice, which influences their sentencing outcomes. Analysis at the sub-national level reveals stark disparities in judicial efficiency, with states categorized into “Very Fast” and “Very Slow” clusters based on sentencing rates. Findings underscore the need for reforms to reduce pretrial detention and address systemic inequalities. Our study contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of judicial processes in Mexico by emphasizing the intersection of legal frameworks and sociodemographic disparities that perpetuate inequities in the criminal justice system.</p>