The university of new mexico, in partnership with (DE)serving life, propose to examine parole decision making, juvenile lifer reentry, and juvenile sentencing in new mexico following the passage of…

The University of New Mexico, in partnership with (De)Serving Life, received a $400,000 Project Grant from the National Institute of Justice (CFDA 16.560 - NIJ Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants) to examine parole decision-making, juvenile lifer reentry, and juvenile sentencing in New Mexico following the passage of the "No Life Sentences for Juveniles Act (2023)". The research aims to improve parole and reentry outcomes for individuals sentenced to life or long sentences as juveniles through a multi-pronged approach, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and content analysis of judicial and parole board decisions. The project will be carried out from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027, utilizing the action research model to generate practical insights and evidence-based tools that can enhance criminal justice policies and practices related to juvenile sentencing and reentry at the state and local levels.

The university of new mexico, in partnership with (DE)serving life, propose to examine parole decision making, juvenile lifer reentry, and juvenile sentencing in new mexico following the passage of the no life sentences for juveniles act (2023). Using the action research model, the present research aims to improve parole and reentry for individuals sentenced to life or long sentences as juveniles in new mexico through a broad plan of intervention and implementation evaluation. To achieve these objectives and address the associated research questions, we will 1) conduct surveys with currently and formerly incarcerated juvenile lifers; 2) conduct dynamic focus groups with our community advisory board of juvenile lifers; 3) conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with a subset of our juvenile lifer sample; 4) conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with district court judges and parole board members; and 5) judicial and parole board decision documents via content coding and natural language processing. Collectively, our partnership team brings deep knowledge of NMS local context, relationships with relevant stakeholders, and expertise in community-based action research. The proposed project employs a broad dissemination plan aimed at individuals who received long or life sentences as juveniles, legal and forensic practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and other relevant stakeholders.CA/NCF