Police & Prison
N.M. Supreme Court reaffirms children’s capacity for change
A week before the Second Chance bill got through its final committee in the Legislature, another branch of government reaffirmed the importance of young people’s capacity for change, and that they should be treated differently than adults. Senate Bill 64 would end life without parole as a sentencing option for children and, in most circumstances, […]
Bill proposes to take people to crisis centers for mental health aid instead of jails or hospitals
Instead of law enforcement taking people to jails or hospitals, New Mexicans could be sent to crisis triage centers to help with mental health needs. This will happen if House Bill 373 makes it through the Roundhouse. The legislation passed unanimously through the House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday. That was the bill’s […]
Lawmakers get closer to passing bill that would expand voting rights and accessibility
Voting could be easier for hundreds of thousands of people in New Mexico if election-related legislation makes it a few more steps forward in the Roundhouse this session. House Bill 4, otherwise known as Voting Rights Protections, would boost voting accessibility in the state, especially for Indigenous communities and formerly incarcerated people convicted of felonies. […]
NM Senate moves to abolish life without parole for children sentenced as adults
The New Mexico Senate endorsed a proposal to end life without parole as a sentencing option for children, and decrease how long someone convicted as a juvenile would have to be in prison before a parole board could consider their case. In a bipartisan 32-8 vote, senators passed Senate Bill 64, known as the Second […]
New Mexico Senate to weigh probation and parole reforms
When a person gets out of prison in New Mexico and breaks the rules of their probation or parole, they are sent back to prison. But it’s not usually a new crime that lands them back behind the walls. In fact, 70% of the people in that situation have committed a “technical” infraction, according to […]
New Mexico House passes firearm storage bill named after middle school student
The New Mexico House of Representatives on Thursday passed a measure meant to prevent gun violence by young people using firearms that adult gun owners didn’t secure. House Bill 9 sponsored by Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) would make it a misdemeanor to negligently allow a child access to a firearm, and would make it a […]
Two-week waiting period, ban on large magazines clear first committee in NM Legislature
As the U.S. grapples with gun policy in the face of mass shootings and gun violence, state lawmakers are also weighing several reforms that have begun moving in the Roundhouse. A panel of House lawmakers in New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon passed two proposals that would create a waiting period before someone has a gun […]
Clemency for Leonard Peltier demanded decades after his incarceration
People in Albuquerque joined others across the country demanding the release of Leonard Peltier from federal prison. “His imprisonment was meant to demoralize us and to discourage us from resisting. He was meant to be made an example of, to show people this is what happens if you speak out,” Jennifer Marley said in front […]
Solomon Pena pleads not guilty following grand jury indictment
Solomon Pena pleaded not guilty during a Friday arraignment hearing, his first court appearance since a grand jury indicted him on 14 felony charges related to an alleged plot to shoot at the homes of elected officials. Pena, an election denier and failed 2022 GOP candidate for the N.M. House, is accused of enlisting help […]
The infection of anti-Black bias in U.S. society and policing
Once again, Americans are left reeling from the horror of video footage showing police brutalizing an unarmed Black man who later died. Some details in the latest case of extreme police violence were gut-wrenchingly familiar: a police traffic stop of a Black male motorist turned violent. But, for many of us, other details were unfamiliar: […]
Congressional Black Caucus meets with Biden to push for police accountability
WASHINGTON — The Congressional Black Caucus met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday evening to urge the administration to use its executive power for law enforcement reform, following criminal charges for police officers in the killing of a Black man in Memphis, Tennessee. “My hope is this dark memory spurs some […]
N.M. prison officials seek funding for hundreds of vacant guard positions
A panel of House lawmakers on Tuesday honored a request by the head of the state prison system and the governor to keep paying for hundreds of guard positions that have sat empty for years, against the recommendation of their own analysts. In its proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the Legislative Finance Committee […]