New Mexico Archives - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Paying the Price New Mexico’s Practice Of Arresting And Incarcerating People For Nonpayment Of Court Debt

In a two-tiered criminal legal system, those with the resources to settle court-imposed debt result in a quick resolution of the case, but those without financial resources and social status …

New Mexico HB 139: Eliminating Court Fees

The New Mexico Legislature approved a bill eliminating post-adjudication and bench warrant fees. The legislation also expands the definition of community service to encourage participation in job training, academic or …

New Mexico SB 47: Driver’s License Suspension Penalties

The New Mexico legislature passed a bill eliminating suspensions for failure to pay and failure to appear. The bill also requires the automatic reinstatement of licenses suspended solely for failure …

Punishing the Poor: An Assessment of the Administration of Fines and Fees in New Mexico Misdemeanor Courts

Low-income people in New Mexico accused of minor crimes are often caught in a vicious cycle where they are jailed because they can’t afford to pay monetary sanctions. In 2018, …

Interim Survey Results: The Impact of New Mexico’s Fines and Fees

FFJC took a mixed-methods research approach to understand the burden of fines and fees on economically vulnerable New Mexicans. FFJC New Mexico, in partnership with the New Mexico Advisory Board on Fines and Fees and ACLU New Mexico, administered a state-wide survey to gather data on New Mexicans’ experiences with court debt and the state’s criminal fine and fee system.

New Mexico House Bill 81

The New Mexico legislature introduced a bill requiring the court to assess a person’s ability to pay any fine, fee or cost at the time of sentencing, and creating a …

HB 183: An Act Relating to Children; Eliminating Certain Fines and Fees Relating to Certain Crimes Committed by Juveniles

This bill eliminates fines and administrative fees from the Delinquency Act within the Children’s Code. The bill also eliminates the $10 application fee for a public defender in Children’s Court. …

NM SB181

This bill requires courts in criminal proceedings to assess ability to pay a fine, fee or costs, at the time of sentencing. The bill also requires that individuals be permitted …

The Steep Costs of Criminal Justice Fees and Fines, A Fiscal Analysis of Three States and Ten Counties

This Brennan Center research report analyzes the numerous disadvantages of the current criminal justice fine and fee systems of ten counties in Texas, Florida, and New Mexico.