Release of some New Mexico inmates ordered to prevent virus

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an executive order Monday that calls for the early release of some non-violent inmates to reduce the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in the state's prisons and jails.

The measure directs the New Mexico Corrections Department to compile a list of inmates who are eligible for early release based on criteria listed below. Those who make the list will have the remainder of their sentence commuted by the governor.

The executive order’s criteria that would make an inmate eligible for early release include:

• Prisoner's release date is no more than 30 days away
• Necessary parole plan is in place
• Inmate is not a sex offender
• Inmate has not been convicted of felony drunk driving or domestic abuse
• Prisoners is not serving time for assault on a peace officer
• Inmate is not serving time for a firearms crime enhancement

The order says all those freed will remain under state parole supervision and crime victims will be notified of the early releases.

“We are evaluating every tool in our tool belt to reduce risk of transmission in our state,” Lujan Grisham said. “Public health and public safety, in this pandemic environment, go hand-in-hand. And we will work as a state to protect every population to the greatest extent that we can.”