Sen. Leo Jaramillo

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE NEWS

The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office is happy to announce that Friday, April 9, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 377, General Appropriations and Expenditures, which includes funding allocated for diversion programs in the First Judicial District. These funds are part of the capital outlay requests made by Senator Leo Jaramillo to better serve the residents and agencies in his district. 

Specifically, the bill allocates $90,000 for pre-prosecution diversion programs in Rio Arriba County. The money will be used to fund Rio Arriba’s diversion program , which will be used to divert non-violent offenders away from jail time into treatment programs and additional services. Such diversion programs utilize fewer state resources while lowering rates of recidivism and ensuring prosecutorial resources can be used more effectively. 

First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies notes, “We know that we cannot incarcerate our way out of social issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse. Diversion programs play an important role in helping keep our communities safe. We send our deep gratitude to Senator Leo Jaramillo for fighting to fund programs that work for communities that need them.”