University researchers analyze pretrial releases amid debate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New findings by University of New Mexico researchers indicate that just under 5% of Albuquerque-area defendants awaiting trial commit violent crimes while free from jail. A senior state courts official said the research indicates that the vast majority of defendants don’t commit new crimes pending trial but the top prosecutor for Bernalillo County and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham say its still troubling that some defendants commit crimes while free. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the university’s Institute for Social Research analyzed more than 10,000 felony cases in Bernalillo County amid debate over the state’s system of releasing felony defendants.