Reactions mixed on new bail bond rules

In the first month of a resolution allowing certain New Mexico defendants to be released from detention centers without bail, eastern New Mexico residents displayed mixed feelings.

Senate Joint Resolution 1 took effect July 1, and is aimed at “assuring that non-dangerous low-risk defendants are not jailed while awaiting trial solely because they cannot buy a bail bond,” as well as expediting pretrial detention of “clearly dangerous felons,” according to a press release by the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts.

Portales resident Jessica Buckner understands that many “non-dangerous low-risk defendants” may deserve to be released without bond, but believes there to be too many “unknowns” in that scenario.

“I can see how, if they don’t have a criminal record, it would be a good thing, because then they could be just a decent person in that situation. But it could also be that they’re just starting a criminal spree, and we don’t know. We don’t know people. Everyone’s different,” she said.

Luis Ruiz, also of Portales, believes that the resolution has the potential to be fair as long as it examines closely the nature of each person’s crime.

“Maybe someone just made a bad mistake and something they didn’t intend to happen. If someone’s never committed a crime before, and something just went wrong, compared to a man who continues to get in trouble with the law and is always in the courtroom, I think it should be different for both,” said Ruiz.

The resolution is still young, and hasn’t had a chance to show any kind of result, according to Portales resident Chelsea Starr.

“Let’s give it some time, do the research, and see if it works. Do they appear (in court on an appearance bond)? And if they appear, you don’t have to jail them. That saves a lot of money,” she said. “Give it a trial period, do a study, make sure you’ve got the numbers, and see, because we spend a lot of money jailing people. You’ve got (to have) the physical space. Plus, you have to feed them three times a day and supervise them and everything.”

Clovis resident Terance Abeyta said he was supportive of the measure if it meant harmless offenders could spend time at work and with their families rather than sitting in a jail cell.

“I’m with it 100 percent,” he said. “Usually I think courts consider you a flight risk no matter what if you get arrested. But a person who gets arrested for something non-violent still has kids to feed and a family to take care of.”