SB 54 New Mexico Senate · 2025 Regular Session

CRIMINAL JUSTICE CHANGES

SB 54 proposes comprehensive criminal justice reforms in New Mexico. It requires correctional facilities to expand medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders and track its use, mandates a public crime data dashboard for transparency, and creates new funds for jail reentry programs and crisis intervention. The bill also sets new training standards for county detention officers, establishes treatment courts for certain cases, and expands pre-prosecution diversion programs. The bill was postponed indefinitely in June 2025 after committee revisions.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action Jun 3, 2025

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What changed between versions

introduced version → JU substitute · 10 edits

MAJOR

This bill significantly expands New Mexico's criminal justice reform efforts by creating a new Sentencing Commission to oversee sentencing policy, establishing a public crime data dashboard, and mandating medication-assisted treatment programs in correctional facilities. The legislation also introduces new training requirements for law enforcement, creates deflection programs to divert individuals with behavioral health needs away from arrest, and expands eligibility for pre-prosecution diversion programs.

Scope change

The bill expands from primarily detention officer training to a comprehensive criminal justice reform package covering sentencing policy, data transparency, substance use treatment, behavioral health crisis intervention, and workforce development across multiple agencies.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new New Mexico Sentencing Commission with 27 members to study sentencing models, assess the impact of sentencing guidelines on correctional resources, and make recommendations for criminal justice reform.

Mandated creation of a public crime data dashboard hosted by the Sentencing Commission to visualize crime trends and support data-driven policing strategies.

Expanded medication-assisted treatment requirements for incarcerated individuals, requiring state facilities to offer treatment by June 2026 and county facilities by fiscal year 2027.

Established new training requirements for county detention officers and law enforcement officers to interact with persons experiencing behavioral health crises.

Created a Law Enforcement Deflection Program to divert individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders from arrest to treatment services.

Required courts to use validated risk and needs assessments when placing defendants on probation or determining supervision levels.

Mandated crime mapping and data-driven methods for violence intervention programs to identify and target concentrated violence.

Required continuing judicial education on substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and co-occurring disorders.

ELIGIBILITY

Relaxed pre-prosecution diversion program eligibility by removing the prior violent felony conviction requirement.

FISCAL

Created new funds including a Medication-Assisted Treatment for the Incarcerated Program Fund and a Clinical Supervision Fund.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

upper

Jan 22, 2025

Introduced

Sent to Senate Judiciary Committee & Senate Finance Committee

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors