News & Commentary

We must view children’s behavior and (perceived) misbehavior objectively; we must be honest about where these problems stem from, begin to question the institutions that exist that perpetuate them, and be willing to reimagine what community safety looks like.

As a country, we disproportionately incarcerate individuals with serious mental illnesses, but our carceral system does little to nothing to address their needs.

I’m speaking up about the horrible things I have witnessed here to try and save women’s lives.

Mass incarceration created a foreseeable disaster.

Surveillance video from the Central New Mexico Corrections Facility in Los Lunas show guards standing by as an incarcerated man is brutally attacked, raising troubling concerns about the well-being of people in the custody of the New Mexico Corrections Department.

Time and time again, we have watched and read news reports that provide a glimpse into the deplorable conditions behind the walls of MDC. A stubborn reliance on mass-incarceration is the reason why.

ACLU of New Mexico Staff Attorney Denali Wilson talks about the need for the Second Chance Bill in New Mexico.

It’s been one year and eight months since, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACLU of New Mexico first sounded the alarm of an impending humanitarian crisis for incarcerated people in the state.

Shannon’s brother was sentenced to 30 years to life when he was just 16 years old for his involvement in the killing of their grandparents. For many years, Shannon refused to speak to her brother or his former friends, but now she is an advocate for second chances. Shannon wants to see legislation passed in New Mexico to give people sentenced as children who have grown and changed a chance to petition for early release.