N.M. Stat. § 33-2A-6
Overcrowding; population control mechanism;
procedures.
When the inmate population of female correctional facilities or male correctional
facilities exceeds one hundred percent of rated capacity for a period of thirty
consecutive days, the following measures shall be taken to reduce capacity:
A. the corrections department shall engage in all lawful and professionally
appropriate efforts to reduce the inmate population to one hundred percent of rated
capacity;
B. if inmate population is still in excess of one hundred percent of rated capacity
after sixty consecutive days, the secretary of corrections shall notify the commission.
Included in the notification shall be a list of nonviolent offenders who are within one
hundred eighty days of their projected release date;
C. the commission shall convene within ten days to consider the release of
nonviolent offenders on the list provided by the secretary of corrections. The
commission shall also discuss with the corrections department the impact on the inmate
population of possible changes in the classification system and expanding incarceration
alternatives;
D. for nonviolent offenders approved by the commission for release, the commission
shall grant emergency release credits in ten-day increments that will be applied to the
sentences being served by the nonviolent offenders. The commission shall order
release of the appropriate number of nonviolent offenders to reduce the inmate
population; and
E. notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, a nonviolent offender shall
not be released:
(1)
unless the nonviolent offender has a parole plan pursuant to applicable
parole board regulations;
(2)
if the information concerning the nonviolent offender is discovered to be
materially inaccurate;
(3)
if the nonviolent offender committed a crime while incarcerated;
(4)
if the nonviolent offender fails a drug screening test within ten days of his
scheduled release; or
(5)
if the effect of releasing nonviolent offenders will result in the loss of
federal funds to any agency of the state.