New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB525 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 525
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	-
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33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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39	39	MEXICO
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42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
44	44
45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	Meredith A. Dixon
48	48	AN ACT
49	49	RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS; ADDING SECOND DEGREE
50	50	HOMICIDE BY VEHICLE TO THE DEFINITION OF "SERIOUS VIOLENT
51	51	OFFENSE".
52	52	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
53	53	SECTION 1. Section 33-2-34 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1999,
54	54	Chapter 238, Section 1, as amended) is amended to read:
55	55	"33-2-34. ELIGIBILITY FOR EARNED MERITORIOUS
56	56	DEDUCTIONS.--
57	57	A. To earn meritorious deductions, a prisoner
58	58	confined in a correctional facility designated by the
59	59	corrections department must be an active participant in programs
60	60	recommended for the prisoner by the classification supervisor
61	61	and approved by the warden or the warden's designee.
62	62	Meritorious deductions shall not exceed the following amounts:
63	63	.229742.1 underscored material = new
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90	90	(1) for a prisoner confined for committing a
91	91	serious violent offense, up to a maximum of four days per month
92	92	of time served;
93	93	(2) for a prisoner confined for committing a
94	94	nonviolent offense, up to a maximum of thirty days per month of
95	95	time served;
96	96	(3) for a prisoner confined following
97	97	revocation of parole for the alleged commission of a new felony
98	98	offense or for absconding from parole, up to a maximum of four
99	99	days per month of time served during the parole term following
100	100	revocation; and
101	101	(4) for a prisoner confined following
102	102	revocation of parole for a reason other than the alleged
103	103	commission of a new felony offense or absconding from parole:
104	104	(a) up to a maximum of eight days per
105	105	month of time served during the parole term following
106	106	revocation, if the prisoner was convicted of a serious violent
107	107	offense or failed to pass a drug test administered as a
108	108	condition of parole; or
109	109	(b) up to a maximum of thirty days per
110	110	month of time served during the parole term following
111	111	revocation, if the prisoner was convicted of a nonviolent
112	112	offense.
113	113	B. A prisoner may earn meritorious deductions upon
114	114	recommendation by the classification supervisor, based upon the
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143	143	prisoner's active participation in approved programs and the
144	144	quality of the prisoner's participation in those approved
145	145	programs. A prisoner may not earn meritorious deductions
146	146	unless the recommendation of the classification supervisor is
147	147	approved by the warden or the warden's designee.
148	148	C. If a prisoner's active participation in approved
149	149	programs is interrupted by a lockdown at a correctional
150	150	facility, the prisoner may continue to be awarded meritorious
151	151	deductions at the rate the prisoner was earning meritorious
152	152	deductions prior to the lockdown, unless the warden or the
153	153	warden's designee determines that the prisoner's conduct
154	154	contributed to the initiation or continuance of the lockdown.
155	155	D. A prisoner confined in a correctional facility
156	156	designated by the corrections department is eligible for lump-
157	157	sum meritorious deductions as follows:
158	158	(1) for successfully completing an approved
159	159	vocational, substance abuse or mental health program, one
160	160	month; except when the prisoner has a demonstrable physical,
161	161	mental health or developmental disability that prevents the
162	162	prisoner from successfully earning a high school equivalency
163	163	credential, in which case, the prisoner shall be awarded three
164	164	months;
165	165	(2) for earning a high school equivalency
166	166	credential, three months;
167	167	(3) for earning an associate's degree, four
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196	196	months;
197	197	(4) for earning a bachelor's degree, five
198	198	months;
199	199	(5) for earning a graduate qualification, five
200	200	months; and
201	201	(6) for engaging in a heroic act of saving
202	202	life or property, engaging in extraordinary conduct for the
203	203	benefit of the state or the public that is at great expense or
204	204	risk to or involves great effort on the part of the prisoner or
205	205	engaging in extraordinary conduct far in excess of normal
206	206	program assignments that demonstrates the prisoner's commitment
207	207	to self-rehabilitation. The classification supervisor and the
208	208	warden or the warden's designee may recommend the number of
209	209	days to be awarded in each case based upon the particular
210	210	merits, but any award shall be determined by the director of
211	211	the adult institutions division of the corrections department
212	212	or the director's designee.
213	213	E. Lump-sum meritorious deductions, provided in
214	214	Paragraphs (1) through (6) of Subsection D of this section, may
215	215	be awarded in addition to the meritorious deductions provided
216	216	in Subsections A and B of this section. Lump-sum meritorious
217	217	deductions shall not exceed one year per award and shall not
218	218	exceed a total of one year for all lump-sum meritorious
219	219	deductions awarded in any consecutive twelve-month period.
220	220	F. A prisoner is not eligible to earn meritorious
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249	249	deductions if the prisoner:
250	250	(1) disobeys an order to perform labor,
251	251	pursuant to Section 33-8-4 NMSA 1978;
252	252	(2) is in disciplinary segregation;
253	253	(3) is confined for committing a serious
254	254	violent offense and is within the first sixty days of receipt
255	255	by the corrections department; or
256	256	(4) is not an active participant in programs
257	257	recommended and approved for the prisoner by the classification
258	258	supervisor.
259	259	G. The provisions of this section shall not be
260	260	interpreted as providing eligibility to earn meritorious
261	261	deductions from a sentence of life imprisonment or a sentence
262	262	of life imprisonment without possibility of release or parole.
263	263	H. The corrections department shall promulgate
264	264	rules to implement the provisions of this section, and the
265	265	rules shall be matters of public record. A concise summary of
266	266	the rules shall be provided to each prisoner, and each prisoner
267	267	shall receive a quarterly statement of the meritorious
268	268	deductions earned.
269	269	I. A New Mexico prisoner confined in a federal or
270	270	out-of-state correctional facility is eligible to earn
271	271	meritorious deductions for active participation in programs on
272	272	the basis of the prisoner's conduct and program reports
273	273	furnished by that facility to the corrections department. All
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302	302	decisions regarding the award and forfeiture of meritorious
303	303	deductions at such facility are subject to final approval by
304	304	the director of the adult institutions division of the
305	305	corrections department or the director's designee.
306	306	J. In order to be eligible for meritorious
307	307	deductions, a prisoner confined in a federal or out-of-state
308	308	correctional facility designated by the corrections department
309	309	must actively participate in programs that are available. If a
310	310	federal or out-of-state correctional facility does not have
311	311	programs available for a prisoner, the prisoner may be awarded
312	312	meritorious deductions at the rate the prisoner could have
313	313	earned meritorious deductions if the prisoner had actively
314	314	participated in programs.
315	315	K. A prisoner confined in a correctional facility
316	316	in New Mexico that is operated by a private company, pursuant
317	317	to a contract with the corrections department, is eligible to
318	318	earn meritorious deductions in the same manner as a prisoner
319	319	confined in a state-run correctional facility. All decisions
320	320	regarding the award or forfeiture of meritorious deductions at
321	321	such facilities are subject to final approval by the director
322	322	of the adult institutions division of the corrections
323	323	department or the director's designee.
324	324	L. As used in this section:
325	325	(1) "active participant" means a prisoner who
326	326	has begun, and is regularly engaged in, approved programs;
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355	355	(2) "program" means work, vocational,
356	356	educational, substance abuse and mental health programs,
357	357	approved by the classification supervisor, that contribute to a
358	358	prisoner's self-betterment through the development of personal
359	359	and occupational skills. "Program" does not include
360	360	recreational activities;
361	361	(3) "nonviolent offense" means any offense
362	362	other than a serious violent offense; and
363	363	(4) "serious violent offense" means:
364	364	(a) second degree murder, as provided in
365	365	Section 30-2-1 NMSA 1978;
366	366	(b) voluntary manslaughter, as provided
367	367	in Section 30-2-3 NMSA 1978;
368	368	(c) third degree aggravated battery, as
369	369	provided in Section 30-3-5 NMSA 1978;
370	370	(d) third degree aggravated battery
371	371	against a household member, as provided in Section 30-3-16 NMSA
372	372	1978;
373	373	(e) first degree kidnapping, as provided
374	374	in Section 30-4-1 NMSA 1978;
375	375	(f) first and second degree criminal
376	376	sexual penetration, as provided in Section 30-9-11 NMSA 1978;
377	377	(g) second and third degree criminal
378	378	sexual contact of a minor, as provided in Section 30-9-13 NMSA
379	379	1978;
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408	408	(h) first and second degree robbery, as
409	409	provided in Section 30-16-2 NMSA 1978;
410	410	(i) second degree aggravated arson, as
411	411	provided in Section 30-17-6 NMSA 1978;
412	412	(j) shooting at a dwelling or occupied
413	413	building, as provided in Section 30-3-8 NMSA 1978;
414	414	(k) shooting at or from a motor vehicle,
415	415	as provided in Section 30-3-8 NMSA 1978;
416	416	(l) aggravated battery upon a peace
417	417	officer, as provided in Section 30-22-25 NMSA 1978;
418	418	(m) assault with intent to commit a
419	419	violent felony upon a peace officer, as provided in Section
420	420	30-22-23 NMSA 1978;
421	421	(n) aggravated assault upon a peace
422	422	officer, as provided in Section 30-22-22 NMSA 1978; or
423	423	(o) any of the following offenses, when
424	424	the nature of the offense and the resulting harm are such that
425	425	the court judges the crime to be a serious violent offense for
426	426	the purpose of this section: 1) involuntary manslaughter, as
427	427	provided in Section 30-2-3 NMSA 1978; 2) fourth degree
428	428	aggravated assault, as provided in Section 30-3-2 NMSA 1978; 3)
429	429	third degree assault with intent to commit a violent felony, as
430	430	provided in Section 30-3-3 NMSA 1978; 4) fourth degree
431	431	aggravated assault against a household member, as provided in
432	432	Section 30-3-13 NMSA 1978; 5) third degree assault against a
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461	461	household member with intent to commit a violent felony, as
462	462	provided in Section 30-3-14 NMSA 1978; 6) third and fourth
463	463	degree aggravated stalking, as provided in Section 30-3A-3.1
464	464	NMSA 1978; 7) second degree kidnapping, as provided in Section
465	465	30-4-1 NMSA 1978; 8) second degree abandonment of a child, as
466	466	provided in Section 30-6-1 NMSA 1978; 9) first, second and
467	467	third degree abuse of a child, as provided in Section 30-6-1
468	468	NMSA 1978; 10) third degree dangerous use of explosives, as
469	469	provided in Section 30-7-5 NMSA 1978; 11) third and fourth
470	470	degree criminal sexual penetration, as provided in Section
471	471	30-9-11 NMSA 1978; 12) fourth degree criminal sexual contact of
472	472	a minor, as provided in Section 30-9-13 NMSA 1978; 13) third
473	473	degree robbery, as provided in Section 30-16-2 NMSA 1978; 14)
474	474	second degree homicide by vehicle or third degree homicide by
475	475	vehicle or great bodily harm by vehicle, as provided in Section
476	476	66-8-101 NMSA 1978; or 15) battery upon a peace officer, as
477	477	provided in Section 30-22-24 NMSA 1978.
478	478	M. Except for sex offenders, as provided in Section
479	479	31-21-10.1 NMSA 1978, an offender sentenced to confinement in a
480	480	correctional facility designated by the corrections department
481	481	who has been released from confinement and who is serving a
482	482	parole term may be awarded earned meritorious deductions of up
483	483	to thirty days per month upon recommendation of the parole
484	484	officer supervising the offender, with the final approval of
485	485	the adult parole board. The offender must be in compliance
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514	514	with all the conditions of the offender's parole to be eligible
515	515	for earned meritorious deductions. The adult parole board may
516	516	remove earned meritorious deductions previously awarded if the
517	517	offender later fails to comply with the conditions of the
518	518	offender's parole. The corrections department and the adult
519	519	parole board shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions
520	520	of this subsection. This subsection applies to offenders who
521	521	are serving a parole term on or after July 1, 2004."
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