Andrea Reeb, New Mexico State Representative for District 64, expressed concerns over the passage of House Bill 255, suggesting that its provisions may be too lenient on violent juvenile offenders. This statement was made in a press release on March 10.
"Democrats continue to kill commonsense solutions to our crime epidemic," said Reeb. "We cannot coddle violent offenders; we must hold them accountable. This is a slap in the face."
House Bill 255 proposes renaming the "Juvenile Corrections Act" to the "Juvenile Community Connections Act" and aims to expand community-based services for juveniles. The bill allows the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) to refer children or youth in their care to appropriate community programs, focusing on intervention and rehabilitation to address the root causes of juvenile crime. Additionally, HB 255 introduces a three-year pilot program providing monthly stipends to young people aging out of foster care.
According to the New Mexico Legislature, juvenile arrests in New Mexico fell by 14% from 2011 to 2021. This decline coincided with a 3.2% decrease in the youth population and the adoption of intervention programs like the Cambiar model. During this period, youth alcohol use dropped from 37% to 20%, methamphetamine use from 6% to 2%, and heroin use from 5% to 1%.
New Mexico has one of the highest youth homicide rates in the United States, consistently surpassing the national average before 2002. Homicide is identified as the second leading cause of death for youth aged 15–24 in the state, with firearms involved in 79% of cases nationwide. In 2002, New Mexico's youth suicide rate was reported at 19.2 per 100,000—nearly double the U.S. average—according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Reeb's website indicates that she is a Clovis native and longtime prosecutor who served as Ninth Judicial District Attorney with a conviction rate of 97%. She specialized in child crimes and high-profile corruption cases and has actively advocated for crime prevention legislation since 2014.
