Committee meets Thursday to hear from national experts on pretrial detention procedures
ALBUQUERQUE – A Supreme Court appointed committee meets Thursday and will hear from national experts on issues related to pretrial detention of criminal defendants.
DATE: Feb. 27, 2020
TIME: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
PLACE: State Bar Center, Modrall Room
5121 Masthead St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
An agenda and meeting materials are available online by clicking here.
A recording will be made of the meeting and should be available online on the committee’s webpage on Friday.
The Ad Hoc Committee to Review Pretrial Release and Detention Procedures includes representatives from all three branches of government – legislative, executive and judicial. Retired Supreme Court Justice Edward Chávez chairs the committee, which is to submit an initial report to the Court by March 31, 2020.
The committee is to hear from Tim Schnacke of the Center for Legal and Evidence-Based Practices and Spurgeon Kennedy, program director of the Justice Management Institute and vice president of the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies. They have assisted other states on matters related to pretrial release and detention.
Under a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016, district court judges can hold a felony defendant in jail pending trial if prosecutors prove by clear and convincing evidence that the individual is so dangerous that nothing other than detention will reasonably protect public safety. Prosecutors must file a written motion in court to seek a defendant’s detention. Court rules establish procedures for detention requests, including deadlines for a hearing.
