Recent recommendations on prison reform from a New Mexico taskforce stop short of calling for comprehensive changes, but DPA New Mexico has jumped in with a letter to Governor Bill Richardson outlining additional steps the state can take to create real reform.
The Prison Reform Taskforce was convened this spring by the governor, bringing together a consortium of criminal justice leaders and employees from around the state. The purpose was to evaluate the New Mexico prison system's operations, services and programs, and make recommendations for reform.
DPA New Mexico did not sit on the taskforce, but monitored each meeting and provided community input and suggestions to help influence the final report. DPA New Mexico staff and members provided public comment to the taskforce requesting the inclusion of a number of concrete recommendations in its final report, such as the creation of a treatment pilot project at the women’s prison for women with heroin addictions and improvement of reentry services and policies.
The final report issued by the taskforce on June 24 (
PDF) did take some of these considerations into account, but made largely incremental recommendations and completely left out a number of much-needed reforms.
To keep the pressure on, DPA New Mexico drafted its own letter of recommendations (
PDF) for the governor to consider. Thirteen local community organizations and individuals working in the fields of substance abuse and criminal justice reform signed on to the letter, fully endorsing four proposals that were included in the taskforce’s final report and asking the governor to support six new recommendations.
The new recommendations include improving employment opportunities for individuals released from prison, creating statutory change for treatment instead of jail for drug-related offenses, and setting an overall goal for the reduction of recidivism, which would direct state resources to the successful reentry of people who are incarcerated.
The letter urges the state toward "greater systemic reform to reduce recidivism and make our communities safer."
Governor Richardson will now consider the recommendations, and reform advocates hope he will prioritize a number of criminal justice reform proposals for the upcoming legislative session.
DPA New Mexico is optimistic that the governor and state legislators will embrace the policies outlined in the letter, which are based on health, human rights, reason, compassion, and justice. DPA New Mexico will monitor outcomes resulting from the taskforce’s final report, and continue to advocate for comprehensive prison and criminal justice reform, particularly during the 2009 legislative session.
