ALEC in the Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico behind in reducing youth incarceration
“For states to achieve better outcomes with each dollar spent on the juvenile justice system, they need to economize on their use of expensive juvenile correctional facilities and invest in programs … effective in reducing recidivism.”
New Mexico continues to have one of the nation’s highest rates of juvenile incarceration, with its rate of 227 per 100,000 population rivaling those found in incarceration-heavy California, Nevada and Alaska. Yet the issue hasn’t been a top priority for the Legislature and the courts since 2007, when lawmakers passed a wide-ranging reform bill that showed initial promise.
There are signs, however, that “juvenile justice” is once again receiving some attention.
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[T]he New Mexico Supreme Court last month announced the formation of a permanent commission that brings together various levels of state and local government to direct public services toward an often-overlooked aspect of the criminal justice system: mental-health issues. The new “road map” attempts to help adults and juveniles.
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This issue crosses ideological boundaries. The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative alternative to the national conference, supports model legislation with these goals: “For states to achieve better outcomes with each dollar spent on the juvenile justice system, they need to economize on their use of expensive juvenile correctional facilities and invest in programs … effective in reducing recidivism.”