Santa Fe, NM – A bill that will give judges access to the full criminal histories of violent offenders passed the House Regulatory and Public Affairs Committee by a 7-0 vote. House Bill 72, also called Jaydon's Law, is sponsored by Reps. Nate Gentry and Paul Pacheco.
"Currently, judges don't have access to a complete view a criminal defendants violent criminal history," Gentry said. "This bill will give them the information they need to make fully informed sentencing and pre-trial decisions."
Current law prohibits judges from considering the juvenile record of an adult offender during bond and sentencing decisions. Jaydon's Law would change the Criminal Procedure Act to allow judges to review an adult defendant's prior record as a youth offender. It will also give judges access to other information, such as evidence presented during past hearings for youth offenses.
The bill would not apply to juvenile offenses committed prior to the age of 14 or to juvenile delinquent offenses. It is targeted specifically at older juveniles found guilty of committing serious violent youth offenses such as second degree murder, aggravated battery and rape.
"It's crucial that judges have the information they need to make these important decisions," Pacheco said. "This bill will help judges keep criminals who have a long record of violent offenses off the streets."
The bill is named after Jaydon Chavez-Silver, an Albuquerque teen who was gunned down during a drive-by shooting while he was attending a house party.