Juvenile parole bill dies in House

CLOVIS — A bill that would have given the possibility of earlier parole for juvenile offenders serving life sentences, like many other bills, died on the floor of the House of Representatives when New Mexico’s 60-day legislative session ended Saturday.

But there’s always another session, and the bill’s opponents aim to be more prepared if and when the bill comes up again.

A life sentence in New Mexico is defined at 30 years in prison before the possibility of parole, and is normally followed by additional time for connected charges.

Senate Bill 247, would have provided juvenile offenders serving a life sentence that parole hearing in 15 years instead. If parole is denied at that time, additional parole opportunities would be available every two years.

Specific opposition in Clovis was tied to the 2017 shooting at the Clovis-Carver Public Library, where library workers Wanda Walters and Krissie Carter were killed and four others were injured.

The shooter, Nathaniel Jouett, reached a plea deal for two life sentences followed by 40 years for connected charges. Opponents, including those who survived the shooting and relatives of those killed, were opposed to the idea of at worst seeing Jouett freed after just 15 years and at best having to relive the trauma every two years in parole hearings.

Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, one of SB 247’s two sponsors, said the bill was based on a theory that a child could be more easily rehabilitated than an adult. She didn’t believe Jouett would see parole, given the heinous nature of the shooting, but said an independent party should be the one to make that decision. An attempt to contact Sedillo Lopez for this story was unsuccessful.

The legislation passed the Senate on a 28-11 vote, with local senators Stuart Ingle and Pat Woods among the dissenting votes. It stayed on the House’s calendar for the final days of the session, but was usually behind at least 40 other bills in the queue for debate.

District Attorney Andrea Reeb does believe building opposition will be easier in future sessions because various obstacles are unlikely to exist on another filing. The bill wasn’t anticipated, and the likelihood future sessions won’t be virtual means in-person opposition will be easier to arrange.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Reeb said of the bill’s initial appearance. “Now next year we’ll be way more prepared. We’ll be able to reach out to more victims as opposed to having everything put together last minute. I thought we did a good job this time getting people together, but I think we can actually do better this next time around.”

When asked if any amendments to the bill could make it tenable, Reeb said a sticking point was the 15-year parole wait. Only two other states — West Virginia and Oregon — allow that short of a waiting time for juvenile offenders seeking parole on life sentences.

“That’s crazy in a state where we have so much crime,” Reeb said, “that you’re trying to make that so low.”

It is unlikely — but not impossible, Reeb said — the bill would be filed in the 2022 session. A 30-day session deals only with fiscal and revenue bills, bills from the previous session that were vetoed by the governor, and bills introduced by special message of the governor. While SB 247 would have some fiscal ramifications, that’s not the bill’s primary focus.

If it was somehow filed in the 2022 session, the bill would also face a larger time crunch than before, given the shorter session.