New Mexico
JRI Year: 2019
2019
Background
In 2018, the prison population in New Mexico was projected to increase 9 percent by 2024. The state also had the highest property crime rate and the second-highest violent crime rate in the country as of 2017. In the summer of 2018, state leaders began working with the CSG Justice Center to use JRI to address these challenges.
Policies
The policies that came out of this effort were reflected in House Bill (HB) 342 and House Bill (HB) 564. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed HB 342 into law in April 2019, ensuring that victims of crime will have more avenues to receive support. She vetoed HB 564, however, noting that the bill “is predicated on sound policy considerations” but citing the need for additional stakeholder engagement.1
Outcomes
Although many JRI policies were not enacted, the legislation that passed increased eligibility for more victims of crime to receive support. Under the new law, eligibility for victim compensation expanded to include victims who confide in a licensed medical or mental health provider (including a tribal care provider) about the crime. Previously, eligibility was limited only to victims who reported the crime to law enforcement within 30 days.
For more information, see Justice Reinvestment in New Mexico.
JRI-Driven Policies and Practices
- Improve restitution/victim notification
Other JRI-Funded Projects
In New Mexico, in partnership with the CSG Justice Center, the state committed to a system-level approach to better data across their criminal justice system and received intensive short-term technical assistance as a Founding State in the Justice Counts initiative.
From April to November 2022 the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) supported the SM6/H11 Task Force, established by the New Mexico state Legislature to examine the prospect of unification of the state’s jail and prison systems. The Task Force analyzed data from New Mexico’s prison and jail systems as well as information from other states with unified systems. After concluding that unifying New Mexico’s corrections system was not in the state’s best interest, the group developed focused on improving communication and technology, expanding the collection and analysis of data and access to behavioral health, and conducting a more expansive examination of New Mexico’s criminal justice system challenges. CJI’s support for this effort included facilitating meetings, conducting research, and assisting the Task Force in identifying priority areas and preparing materials to present to the Legislature.
1 The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2023, Justice Reinvestment in New Mexico, New York, NY: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, retrieved May 19, 2023 from https://csgjusticecenter.org/projects/justice-reinvestment/past-states/new-mexico/.