Solving 'catch and release' must be a priority
Our criminal justice system is failing those with mental health problems and/or drug addiction. Here in Las Cruces, repeat offenders are responsible for unnumerable crimes. Many of these repeat offenders are deemed “incompetent” to stand trial so they are just released back onto the streets, where they commit crime after crime after crime. For instance, from a public records request, one of the top repeat offenders in Las Cruces has over 120+ charges for aggravated assault, drug dealing (meth), battery, trespassing, shoplifting, and more.
Another top repeat offender has been charged 95+ times, with offenses including criminal trespass, possession of illegal drugs, assault, property damage, indecent exposure, shoplifting, battery on a peace officer, and unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon. These are just a couple examples, but there are dozens more. 28 out of the top 40, or 70%, of the top repeat offenders in Las Cruces are homeless. I can drive around town and see several of them on any given day.
Meanwhile, families and businesses in Las Cruces are paying the price. Businesses and homes are being vandalized, windows are being broken, and property is being taken. As just one example, a yoga teacher in downtown Las Cruces was attacked with rocks thrown at her car and threatened with being raped and killed.
Homeless people are camping out at businesses and homes, approaching people asking for money, scaring children, threatening people, and leaving trash and feces all around. Drugged out people are wandering the streets, harassing people, and leaving dangerous needles lying around where children can find them.
My own two teens often ride the City bus to a class in downtown Las Cruces. On the bus and in downtown, they’ve witnessed men behaving erratically, drug dealing in broad daylight, and, most recently, two vagrants outside the classroom window smoking crack or meth in the middle of the afternoon. I’ve heard many other mothers express concern about safety of their children in downtown Las Cruces, as well as in the City parks.
If you look at the numerous mugshots of the top repeat offenders, you can see that catch-and-release is not helping them, either. Over time, they look increasingly haggard, beaten down, out of their minds. It is not compassionate to allow these people to continue destroying their own lives and health with drugs. And it is the duty of government to ensure that these people are not allowed to continue destroying our community.
The New Mexico legislature must enact laws to allow “incompetent” offenders to be directed into treatment, for the good of all. Currently, part of the problem is that the State’s definition for mental disorders does not include substance abuse disorder. This makes it very difficult to direct those who are addicted to drugs into the stabilizing treatment they need.
Furthermore, the current Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) model is not enough. AOT is voluntary and, while it can work well for some offenders, it’s clearly not working for the top repeat offenders, many of whom are violent and unstable. Much as we’d like to wish it wasn’t necessary, there must be a mechanism for involuntary commitment and treatment of those who are deemed “incompetent.”
The Governor’s upcoming Special Session in July is a prime opportunity to push for the changes we need. Both Democrat and Republican legislators are criticizing the Special Session, when they should be focused on making it as effective as possible. It’s time to stop politicizing the issues and find common ground so that our communities and our state can survive.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Solving 'catch and release' must be a priority
