N.M. Stat. § 31-5-4
[Western Interstate Corrections Compact; form.]
The Western Interstate Corrections Compact is enacted into law and entered into on
behalf of New Mexico with any and all other states legally joining therein in a form
substantially as follows:
WESTERN INTERSTATE CORRECTIONS COMPACT
Article I - Purpose and Policy
The party states, desiring by common action to improve their institutional facilities
and provide programs of sufficiently high quality for the confinement, treatment and
rehabilitation of various types of offenders, declare that it is the policy of each of the
party states to provide such facilities and programs on a basis of cooperation with one
another, thereby serving the best interests of such offenders and of society. The
purpose of this compact is to provide for the development and execution of such
programs of cooperation for the confinement, treatment and rehabilitation of offenders.
Article II - Definitions
As used in this compact, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
A. "state" means a state of the United States, the territory of Hawaii, or, subject to
the limitation contained in Article VII, Guam.
B. "sending state" means a state party to this compact in which conviction was had.
C. "receiving state" means a state party to this compact to which an inmate is sent
for confinement other than a state in which conviction was had.
D. "inmate" means a male or female offender who is under sentence to or confined
in a prison or other correctional institution.
E. "institution" means any prison, reformatory or other correctional facility, including
but not limited to a facility for the mentally ill or mentally defective, in which inmates may
lawfully be confined.
Article III - Contracts
A. Each party state may make one or more contracts with any one or more of the
other party states for the confinement of inmates on behalf of a sending state in
institutions situated within receiving states. Any such contract shall provide for:
(1)
its duration.
(2)
payments to be made to the receiving state by the sending state for
inmate maintenance; extraordinary medical and dental expenses, and any participation
in or receipts by inmates of rehabilitative or correctional services, facilities, programs or
treatment not reasonably included as part of normal maintenance.
(3)
participation in programs of inmate employment, if any; the disposition or
crediting of any payments received by inmates on account thereof; and the crediting of
proceeds from or disposal of any products resulting therefrom.
(4)
delivery and retaking of inmates.
(5)
such other matters as may be necessary and appropriate to fix the
obligations, responsibilities and rights of the sending and receiving states.
B. Prior to the construction or completion of construction of any institution or
addition thereto by a party state, any other party state or states may contract therewith
for the enlargement of the planned capacity of the institution or addition thereto, or for
the inclusion therein of particular equipment or structures, and for the reservation of a
specific percentum of the capacity of the institution to be kept available for use by
inmates of the sending state or states so contracting. Any sending state so contracting
may, to the extent that monies are legally available therefor, pay to the receiving state, a
reasonable sum as consideration for such enlargement of capacity, or provision of
equipment or structures, and reservation of capacity. Such payment may be in a lump
sum or in installments as provided in the contract.
C. The terms and provisions of this compact shall be a part of any contract entered
into by the authority of [this compact] or pursuant thereto, and nothing in any such
contract shall be inconsistent therewith.
Article IV - Procedures and Rights
A. Whenever the duly constituted judicial or administrative authorities in a state
party to this compact, and which has entered into a contract pursuant to Article III, shall
decide that confinement in, or transfer of an inmate to, an institution within the territory
of another party state is necessary in order to provide adequate quarters and care or
desirable in order to provide an appropriate program of rehabilitation or treatment, said
officials may direct that the confinement be within an institution within the territory of
said other party state, the receiving state to act in that regard solely as agent for the
sending state.
B. The appropriate officials of any state party to this compact shall have access, at
all reasonable times, to any institution in which it has a contractual right to confine
inmates for the purpose of inspecting the facilities thereof and visiting such of its
inmates as may be confined in the institution.
C. Inmates confined in an institution pursuant to the terms of this compact shall at
all times be subject to the jurisdiction of the sending state and may at any time be
removed therefrom for transfer to a prison or other institution within the sending state,
for transfer to another institution in which the sending state may have a contractual or
other right to confine inmates, for release on probation or parole, for discharge or for
any other purpose permitted by the laws of the sending state; provided that the sending
state shall continue to be obligated to such payments as may be required pursuant to
the terms of any contract entered into under the terms of Article III.
D. Each receiving state shall provide regular reports to each sending state on the
inmates of that sending state in institutions pursuant to this compact including a conduct
record of each inmate and certify said record to the official designated by the sending
state, in order that each inmate may have the benefit of his or her record in determining
and altering the disposition of said inmate in accordance with the law which may obtain
in the sending state and in order that the same may be a source of information for the
sending state.
E. All inmates who may be confined in an institution pursuant to the provisions of
this compact shall be treated in a reasonable and humane manner and shall be cared
for and treated equally with such similar inmates of the receiving state as may be
confined in the same institution. The fact of confinement in a receiving state shall not
deprive any inmate so confined of any legal rights which said inmate would have had if
confined in an appropriate institution of the sending state.
F. Any hearing or hearings to which an inmate confined pursuant to this compact
may be entitled by the laws of the sending state may be had before the appropriate
authorities of the sending state, or of the receiving state if authorized by the sending
state. The receiving state shall provide adequate facilities for such hearings as may be
conducted by the appropriate officials of a sending state. In the event such hearings
[hearing] or hearings are had before officials of the receiving state, the governing law
shall be that of the sending state and a record of the hearing or hearings as prescribed
by the sending state shall be made. Said record together with any recommendations of
the hearing officials shall be transmitted forthwith to the official or officials before whom
the hearing would have been had if it had taken place in the sending state. In any and
all proceedings had pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, the officials of the
receiving state shall act solely as agents of the sending state and no final determination
shall be made in any matter except by the appropriate officials of the sending state.
Costs of records made pursuant to this subdivision shall be borne by the sending state.
G. Any inmate confined pursuant to this compact shall be released within the
territory of the sending state unless the inmate, and the sending and receiving states,
shall agree upon release in some other place. The sending state shall bear the cost of
such return to its territory.
H. Any inmate confined pursuant to the terms of this compact shall have any and all
rights to participate in and derive any benefits or incur or be relieved of any obligations
or have such obligations modified or his status changed on account of any action or
proceeding in which he could have participated if confined in any appropriate institution
of the sending state located within such state.
I. The parent, guardian, trustee or other person or persons entitled under the laws
of the sending state to act for, advise or otherwise function with respect to any inmate
shall not be deprived of or restricted in his exercise of any power in respect of any
inmate confined pursuant to the terms of this compact.
Article V - Acts Not Reviewable in Receiving State; Extradition
A. Any decision of the sending state in respect of any matter over which it retains
jurisdiction pursuant to this compact shall be conclusive upon and not reviewable within
the receiving state, but if at the time the sending state seeks to remove an inmate from
an institution in the receiving state there is pending against the inmate within such state
any criminal charge or if the inmate is suspected of having committed within such state
a criminal offense, the inmate shall not be returned without the consent of the receiving
state until discharged from prosecution or other form of proceeding, imprisonment or
detention for such offense. The duly accredited officers of the sending state shall be
permitted to transport inmates pursuant to this compact through any and all states party
to this compact without interference.
B. An inmate who escapes from an institution in which he is confined pursuant to
this compact shall be deemed a fugitive from the sending state and from the state in
which the institution is situated. In the case of an escape to a jurisdiction other than the
sending or receiving state, the responsibility for institution of extradition proceedings
shall be that of the sending state, but nothing contained herein shall be construed to
prevent or affect the activities of officers and agencies of any jurisdiction directed toward
the apprehension and return of an escapee.
Article VI - Federal Aid
Any state party to this compact may accept federal aid for use in connection with any
institution or program, the use of which is or may be affected by this compact or any
contract pursuant hereto and any inmate in a receiving state pursuant to this compact
may participate in any such federally aided program or activity for which the sending
and receiving states have made contractual provision provided that if such program or
activity is not part of the customary correctional regimen the express consent of the
appropriate official of the sending state shall be required therefor.
Article VII - Entry into Force
This compact shall enter into force and become effective and binding upon the
states so acting when it has been enacted into law by any two contiguous states from
among the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. For the
purposes of this article, Alaska and Hawaii shall be deemed contiguous to each other;
to any and all of the states of California, Oregon and Washington; and to Guam.
Thereafter, this compact shall enter into force and become effective and binding as to
any other of said states, or any other state contiguous to at least one party state upon
similar action by such state. Guam may become party to this compact by taking action
similar to that provided for joinder by any other eligible party state and upon the consent
of congress to such joinder. For the purposes of this article, Guam shall be deemed
contiguous to Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon and Washington.
Article VIII - Withdrawal and Termination
This compact shall continue in force and remain binding upon a party state until it
shall have enacted a statute repealing the same and providing for the sending of formal
written notice of withdrawal from the compact to the appropriate officials of all other
party states. An actual withdrawal shall not take effect until two years after the notices
provided in said statute have been sent. Such withdrawal shall not relieve the
withdrawing state from its obligations assumed hereunder prior to the effective date of
withdrawal. Before the effective date of withdrawal, a withdrawing state shall remove to
its territory, at its own expense, such inmates as it may have confined pursuant to the
provisions of this compact.
Article IX - Other Arrangements Unaffected
Nothing contained in this compact shall be construed to abrogate or impair any
agreement or other arrangement which a party state may have with a nonparty state for
the confinement, rehabilitation or treatment of inmates nor to repeal any other laws of a
party state authorizing the making of cooperative institutional arrangements.
Article X - Construction and Severability
The provisions of this compact shall be liberally construed and shall be severable. If
any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to
the constitution of any participating state or of the United States or the applicability
thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity
of the remainder of this compact and the applicability thereof to any government,
agency, person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If this compact shall be
held contrary to the constitution of any state participating therein, the compact shall
remain in full force and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to
the state affected as to all severable matters.