f New Mexico » Juvenile justice services

Basic services, 2022

• Overall

  Mostly state operated

• Detention

  Locally operated

• Probation

  State operated

• Reentry

  State operated

Purpose clauses, 2016

• No clause

• Parens patriae

• Due process era

• Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ)

• Developmental Approach

Corrections agency, 2015

• Independent juvenile corrections agency

• Family/child welfare agency or division

• Broad human services agency

• Adult corrections agency or division

The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), Juvenile Justice Services administers commitments to juvenile correctional facilities and juvenile reentry services for youth leaving those facilities.

Intake and diversion, 2016

Initial intake and court diversion decision is at the discretion of the prosecutor or the juvenile court intake officer, divided by offense.

Post-petition court diversion time limit/s exist.

Solitary confinement, 2016

• Prohibits punitive confinement

• Limits punitive confinement

• No limits on punitive confinement

• Did not respond

Solitary confinement for punitive purposes is not allowed in New Mexico's juvenile correctional facilities. Confinement for the safety of the juvenile or others, or the security of facility is allowed for up to 3 days. The juvenile's status is reviewed every 24 hours by and administrator.  (Adapted from 51 Jurisdiction Survey of Juvenile Solitary Confinement Rules in Juvenile Justice Systems, 2016. Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest at Lowenstein Sandler LLP)

Release decision, 2016

• Agency

• Court

• Parole board

• Agency and court

Release decisions for youth committed to the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) are the responsibility of the Department. The Department staffs the Juvenile Public Safety Advisory Board and oversees and conducts the hearings to determine whether or not an adjudicated juvenile should be granted supervised release. The panel does take into account the juvenile’s risk level (which is required to be reassessed every 90 days in a commitment) in combination with committing offense in making their decision. The committing judge may review the decision of the Department upon request by the panel, and that the judge can deny or grant release. The juvenile parole board, previously identified in NCJJ's 2005 survey, was abolished in 2009.

Risk assessment, 2020

Juvenile probation in New Mexico is administered by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families Department, Juvenile Justice Services. State statute requires the use of the Structured Decision Making tool to be implemented across the state. Information from the Structured Decision Making tool is used to develop/inform pre-disposition investigation reports and/or planning, develop probation disposition recommendations to the juvenile court, assign probation supervision level, and develop probation case plans. Aggregate case level data is reported monthly to executive management to help inform the appropriate allocation of resources.

Sex offender registration, 2015

Does not register

Risk instruments, 2017

• Statute or agency policy

  Required by state or administrative regulation

• Agency recommended

  Recommended by probation oversite agency

Risk instruments tool used

Structured Decision Making Tool

Mental health screening, 2014

Requires a research-based mental health screening

• Secure detention

• Probation

• Corrections

Mental health screening tool used

Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument –Version 2 (MAYSI-2)

New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department encourages mental health screening. The

Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, 2nd Edition (MAYSI-2) is primarily used, though the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAINS) short-screener is sometimes used for probation. There is a Client Care and Treatment policy that specifies the use of a mental health screening tool. The policy names the MAYSI as the screening tool to be used at intake.

Frameworks for evidence-based practices, 2014

• Statute

  Supporting commitment to EBPs

• Administrative regulations

  Either in corrections, probation, or the juvenile court

• Support center

  Or collaboration dedicated to coordinating activities around implementing, evaluating, and sustaining EBPs

• No stance

  No official stance on EBPs

• Did not respond

  State did not respond to the survey

In New Mexico, the state funds programs that have "demonstrated effective practices/programs" for juvenile justice. Programs can submit proposals to Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) to receive funding. The Juvenile Justice Advisory Act requires statistical reports from state funded programs. Performance measures from these programs are made publicly available.

Recidivism reporting, 2016

Study populations

The group(s) of youth being studied in states that publicly report recidivism data.

• Arrest

• Court action

• Supervision

• Placement

Re-offense events

Events that are used to measure recidivism in states that publicly report recidivism data.

• Arrest

• Court action

• Supervision

• Placement

Follow-up periods

Details regarding the length of time and frequency that youth are tracked in states that publicly report recidivism data.

24 months with adult systems reporting

Details

Additional levels of analysis provided in states that publicly report recidivism data.

• County

• Age

• Gender

• Race/ethn.

• Risk level

• Initial offense

• Re-offense

• Prior history

The New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) publishes recidivism data for youth served by CYFD. Recidivism rates are presented for youth re-adjudicated within 24 months of a previous adjudication, youth recommitted to a CYFD facility within 24 months of discharge, and JJS facility clients age 18 and older who enter adult corrections within 24 months after discharge from a JJS facility.

Data sources

FY15 2nd Quarter Key Quarterly Performance Measures Report

Children, Youth, and Families Department