New Mexico Jails Highest Number of People in the Nation

New Mexico has the highest jail-incarceration rate in the nation. That's according to a new report by the Prison Policy Initiative, a non-partisan non-profit that advocates for criminal-justice reform. In 2013, the latest year for which data was available, nearly 341 out of every 100,000 people in New Mexico were held in jails. The state with the second-highest rate was Georgia, with about 317 per 100,000 people. In contrast, Colorado’s rate was 221. The report says some 11 million people are jailed annually, most for brief periods, but others are held for months, often because they can’t afford to make bail. It says in the last 15 years, jail growth has occurred almost entirely in people being held pre-trial, who are technically considered innocent. In New Mexico, for instance, three-quarters of jail inmates are being held before being tried. The report says even three days of pre-trial detention can adversely affect people’s jobs, finances, housing, and children. It says the criminal justice system has become “the default response to all kinds of social problems” including substance abuse and homelessness. The report recommends a number of measures, including moving away from monetary bail. It states, “There is no question that wholesale pre-trial detention does far more harm than good.”