With crime on the rise in many of our communities, criminal justice and public safety are at the forefront of many New Mexicans minds. But what do New Mexicans really think are the best ways to approach issues of crime and public safety? In August 2018, New Mexico safe commissioned a poll conducted by Latino Decisions to find out. The results indicate that voters in New Mexico want criminal justice reform. A majority of New Mexicans support moving away from a punitive approach to crime towards an approach that centers rehabilitation and treatment as a means of reducing the state's incarcerated population.
Our poll revealed that:
- 75% of New Mexicans are worried about crime in their communities
- 70% think it's important to reduce the number of people we incarcerate in our state
- 75% support rehabilitation and treatment over punitive approaches to crime
- 72% believe that people suffering from addictions should be in treatment programs, not prison
- 85% believe that people suffering from mental health disabilities need mental health services, not incarceration
- A majority of voters are more likely to vote for candidates who support broad criminal justice reform.
Read a full summary of the poll findings here.
View the weighted crosstabs here.
So what next? New Mexico SAFE has created a legislative roadmap to help our state's leaders and policy makers reform our criminal justice system, making it more fair and effective.