June 2004 – June 2005

Policy Initiatives on Behalf of Women in the Criminal Justice System and Girls in the Delinquency System

The NMWJP provided technical assistance to legislators and agency personnel concerning the introduction and passage of the following legislation:

Rep. Gail Beam introduced legislation to streamline the process of voter registration of former (HB 64). NMWJP had supported the successful initiative that allowed convicted felons to regain their voting rights and advocated for the needed changes in the process. Governor Richardson signed the legislation into law. We are currently building a coalition to implement a voter registration for former felons.

Rep. Beam and Sen. Feldman secured $130,000 for community corrections housing in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Rep. Danice Picraux was successful in the reauthorization of $165,000 for building a family visitation center for children and their inmate mothers. This has been and will continue to be one of our goals that we will see to fruition.

Working with attorneys, Peter Cubra and Nancy Koeningsberg, we advocated for pre-release benefits for people with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities. The legislation (HB 85) failed, but it was the catalyst for the HSD Income Support Division to dialogue with us about solutions to this problem. We will continue this initiative.

We supported a pilot project, Opiate Replacement for Incarcerated Women, which received a $150,000 appropriation but the necessary implementation legislation (HB 267) failed to pass so the project cannot move forward. Rep. Stewart continues to support the project and will re-introduce legislation.

Negotiations are continuing with Governor Richardson and the Corrections Department for the opening of Camino Nuevo as a women’s minimum security facility. Camino Nuevo is a former secure juvenile facility located in Albuquerque that CYFD has committed to allow Corrections to use for this purpose. Minimum security women currently housed in Grants do not have access to education, work, training and family that being in Albuquerque will afford them.

NMWJP Board Member, Dave Schmidt, led the rewrite of the Children’s Code.

Litigation

NMWJP signed on to the child advocacy amicus brief filed on behalf of Christopher Simmons with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court did rule that the death penalty for juveniles is unconstitutional.

Gender Specific Educational Programs

Presented our report “Women are Different than Men” to corrections and jail officials and interim committees of the legislature.

Researched and presented to elected officials and interested parties a document outlining the Federal and State legal barriers women face reintegrating into society.

Technical Assistance with Governmental Entities, the Courts and Community Organizations

HJM 92 (Balderas) created a task force to study child abuse issues and explore the creation of a registering process similar to sex offender registration process. NMWJP will be a member of the task force.

Supported a grant request to the National Institute of Health by Dr. Janet C’de Baca with the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest. She will study using a brief intervention with underage drivers to reduce DWI re-offenses.

June 2003 –June 2004

Prison Re-entry Court Pilot Project for Women and authorizing Statutory Legislation:

The NMWJP followed up on the Prison Re-Entry Court Pilot Project for Women that allowed the court to authorize the release of women eighteen months early with good behavior. This program was limited due to a lack of funding, but intensive reintegration supervision has resulted in an increased number of women being released to La Entrada in Los Lunas for substance abuse and reintegration counseling.

The NMWJP worked with officials from the Department of Corrections and the Children, Family and Youth Department prior to the last legislative session to advocate for the closing of the Camino Nuevo Facility (secure juvenile facility) and the moving of low-security women from the Grants Facility to Camino Nuevo. This would allow low-security women the opportunity to live in an urban setting with access to job training that would facilitate their reentry into the community once released. Legislation was introduced to provide for the transfer. The bill failed, but the Albuquerque Journal reported that the Department of Corrections will transfer low security women to Camino Nuevo when the juveniles at Camino Nuevo are moved to other locations, such as the Youth Development and Diagnostic Center and the Boy’s School at Springer.

Policy Initiatives on Behalf of Women in the Criminal Justice System and Girls in the Delinquency System:

The NMWJP provided technical assistance to legislators and agency personnel concerning the introduction and passage of the following legislation:

Proposal to appropriate money or reallocate resources for the operation of a release and reintegration unit, to be located in the Rio Grande corridor, for female inmates. This bill provided for money to either operate an old facility or try to find a new facility for women who are eligible by either their classification or by the time left on their sentence to participate in a step-down facility with an emphasis on job training and reentry. The bill was incorporated into the General Appropriations Act. $75,0000 was appropriated to the Department of Corrections for reintegration services for women in prison.

A proposal to amend the statutes to provide treatment instead of incarceration for technical parole violators (SB 313, sponsored by Senator Michael Sanchez, vetoed last year) and HB 256- Rep. Beam did not pass.

A proposal to appropriate $50,000 to operate a women/children visiting facility at the Grants prison HB127-Rep Martinez- and SB 297, Senator Garcia. This bill did not pass.

A proposal to extend the SJM 15 task force charged with studying issues impacting children of incarcerated parents (SJM 16, Senator Lopez, and SJM 31, Senator Rainaldi). The memorial failed but our advocacy was successful. The SJM 15 task force will continue during the 2004 interim with participation of NMWJP.

A joint memorial was passed requesting the corrections department, the children, youth and families department and the department of health to assess behavioral health treatment services and substance abuse treatment services for women and girls who are incarcerated. (HJM 52, Rep. Martinez)

A joint memorial passed requesting that the corrections department, the human services department, the children, families and youth department, the health department, the labor department and the education department form a task force to study barriers to successful reintegration of parolees into communities.
(HJM 53, Rep. Martinez). .

Technical Assistance with Governmental Entities, the Courts and Community Organizations:

The NMWJP met with various governmental agencies, the courts and community agencies, participating in the SJM 15 task force, testifying before the Interim Legislative Courts, Crimes and Criminal Justice Committee, and testifying upon request before various legislative committees during the session.

Gender Specific Educational Programs:

The NMWJP, with assistance from the Children, Family and Youth Department state grant, conducted a survey and prepared a report entitled: Girls are Different from Boys Gender-Responsive Strategies for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System. This study surveyed 29 girls in the juvenile justice system, interviewed 20 families and surveyed 61 professionals, including JPPO’s, social workers, Public Defenders, attorneys and a special magistrate in December, 2003. A Report was prepared and presented to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee in April 2004.