News & Commentary

Like many New Mexicans, I live with felony convictions dating back decades. Slightly more than 20 years ago, an Albuquerque police officer arrested me for taking an end table off of my neighbor’s sun porch and charged me with residential burglary — a third degree felony. I pleaded guilty and the judge sentenced me to 18 months in prison followed by five years of probation and two years of parole.

This bill gets at some of the most important tools for fighting recidivism: access to good jobs, safe housing, and educational opportunities.

Kelly Garcia left Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center nearly six years ago, but sometimes, in her dreams, she finds herself back in a familiar cell. She’s trapped by the same four concrete walls and that same long lonely silence which was pierced only by the occasional cries of inmates worn down by solitude.

A bold plan to transform the landscape of freedom in the post-Martinez era

On June 29, Franky Gonzales left the Bernalillo County Clerk’s office with tears streaming down his face.

"I believe that there can be no reconciliation without admitting hard truths about the roots of our criminal justice system..."

Nine years after his release from prison, Barron Jones has become a leading advocate for criminal justice reform in New Mexico.

It was a waking nightmare for Joy Morales. For 49 days, she languished behind bars in two separate states for a crime she didn’t commit. She could easily prove it wasn’t her, but no one would listen.