Opinion ID: 616881
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Relevant New Mexico Statutes and Policy

Text: We start with an overview of pertinent New Mexico statutes and the New Mexico Department of Corrections Policy. Mr. Brown pled guilty to New Mexico's false imprisonment offense: False imprisonment consists of intentionally confining or restraining another person without his consent and with knowledge that he has no lawful authority to do so. N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-4-3. New Mexico's criminal statutes do not include a specific offense for false imprisonment of a minor. Two New Mexico postconviction statutes bear on Mr. Brown's § 1983 claim: the Probation Statute, N.M. Stat. Ann. § 31-20-5.2, and the Registry Statute, N.M. Stat. Ann. § 29-11A. The Probation Statute provides the terms and conditions of probation for sex offenders. See id. § 31-20-5.2. Its definition of sex offender does not refer to false imprisonment. See id. § 31-20-5.2(F). The Probation Statute requires that [p]rior to placing a sex offender on probation, the district court shall conduct a hearing to determine the terms and conditions of supervised probation for the sex offender. Id. § 31-20-5.2(A). The Registry Statute establishes New Mexico's sex offender registry. See id. § 29-11A-2. Its definition of sex offender includes those who have pled guilty to false imprisonment, as provided in [N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-4-3], when the victim is less than eighteen years of age and the offender is not a parent of the victim. See id. § 29-11A-3(E)(7). The Registry Statute also states: A sex offender who willfully or knowingly fails to comply with the registration requirements set forth in this section is guilty of a fourth degree felony. Id. § 29-11A-4(N). The New Mexico Department of Corrections implements both the Probation Statute and the Registry Statute through Department Policy No. CD-053200 (Policy), titled Probation-Parole Division Sex Offender Registration, Tracking, and Supervision. The Policy defines a sex offender as [a]ny person convicted of a sex offense on or after July 1, 1995 and defines sex offense to include [f]alse imprisonment when the victim is under 18 years of age and the offender is not the parent of the victim in the fourth degree. Policy at 2. The Policy enumerates requirements that apply to sex offenders on probation. Sex offenders must register with the local sheriff within ten days of their release from prison. Id. at 3. The Policy states that sex offenders' travel, employment and residency are subject to restrictions that may be more stringent than those normally imposed on other types of offenders. Id. at 4.