Police & Prison
Ending the ‘life of violence’: Raising awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). In 2017, the U.S. Senate signed a resolution that designated May 5 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, introduced the resolution in response to the disappearance […]
Biden issues first pardons and sentencing commutations of his presidency
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday granted clemency to nearly 80 individuals charged with nonviolent crimes and unveiled an administration strategy to help formerly incarcerated people secure employment. Of that list, three were pardons and 75 were commutations, which is a reduction in an individual’s prison sentence. They were the first pardons and commutations […]
We deserve better than outdated posturing about crime
New Mexico’s 2022 legislative session revealed a troubling absence of the political will to pass meaningful public safety legislation in the Roundhouse. Some elected officials relied on false and harmful rhetoric when it came to addressing public safety. Legislative efforts to address crime in New Mexico this year fell far short of measures that decades […]
El Pasoans help drive sales of recreational marijuana in Sunland Park, Anthony N.M.
Sales soared to almost $10 million at New Mexico dispensaries during the first week of April after the state allowed the sale of recreational marijuana, and businesses near the Texas state line are among those benefiting the most. “We are happy to welcome visitors from Texas and around the country to come to our state […]
Allegations of sexual humiliation at Los Lunas Prison echoes 2011 case
Guards accused of taking part in beating, terrorizing and sexually humiliating incarcerated people two years ago at the New Mexico state prison in Los Lunas were found to have committed similar abuses before, but have only risen in the ranks since. A new federal lawsuit alleges that New Mexico Corrections Department Assistant Warden Joe Lytle […]
Capitol rioter from Santa Fe acquitted on all counts
A federal judge acquitted a defense contractor from Santa Fe on Wednesday of all charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden held the bench trial for Matthew Martin over two days. The government brought three witnesses to testify and Martin himself also testified, […]
NM Transportation Department is sitting on millions of unspent breathalyzer funds
As much as $2.1 million meant to help people pay for interlock devices is sitting in Santa Fe unspent. Word of the fund isn’t always getting out, officials say, and the application process may be hindering those who most need the financial help. The fund comes from an annual $100 fee tacked onto the cost […]
Prosecutors trade attacks while family grieves
The family of a father killed by Albuquerque police criticized the local district attorney and New Mexico’s top prosecutor on Friday after the two officials each tried to say the other had the power to take another look at the killing. Surviving members of Valente Acosta-Bustillos’ family and supporters held a news conference and a […]
Father killed by APD part of a long history of deadly wellness checks
As Valente Acosta-Bustillos’ family gathered near the site of his death to remember his life, advocates joined in solidarity, pointing to a history of wellness checks by Albuquerque police that turn deadly. One of his sons, Valente Acosta, usually doesn’t speak to anyone or put himself out there, he said, fending off being exposed “to […]
U.S. House votes to decriminalize marijuana in federal law
The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. […]
Family of a man killed by APD officers asks DA to reopen case
The last vehicle Rafael Melendez worked on with his father, Valente Acosta-Bustillos, was a 2000 Dodge Dakota truck. “It was always misfiring and stuff,” Melendez said. Even though neither man really knew what he was doing, they would just sit there all day and eventually figure it out. “It was an older vehicle, but we […]
Relocating ICE detainees isn’t enough, release people from ‘inhumane’ federal custody
During the first week of February, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General showed up at Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, N.M. to conduct a surprise inspection. The staff at the facility shouldn’t have been surprised. Over the last two years Torrance County has been under about as much scrutiny that a […]