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A large majority of Albuquerque voters support legislative changes that would make it easier for those charged with certain crimes to be jailed pending trial, according to a new Journal poll.
More than three quarters – 77% – of likely city voters are in favor of the move. Support is strongest among voters who describe themselves as Conservative and Republican, but support cuts across all groups.
Among Republican voters, 86% support indictments of certain crimes being charged. But even 71% of Democrats support the change.
Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling based in Albuquerque, said the poll had widespread support for public policy issues.
“We can see that only 11% are against it,” said Sanderoff. Among all voters polled, proponents of stricter pre-trial detention laws are seven to one superior to opponents, he said.
The state’s system for the release of defendants awaiting trial has come under fire from police, politicians and prosecutors. (Pat Vasquez-Cunningham / )
The question of pre-trial detention is expected to come before the legislature in the next year.
The state’s system for the release of defendants awaiting trial has come under fire from police, politicians and prosecutors who argue that the pre-trial release created a “revolving door” for violent offenders.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in August that she would support legislation that would make it easier for judges to hold defendants on trial for certain violent crimes.
Others consider the change unnecessary as only a small minority of the accused will commit crimes while being released from prison pending a trial.
A sizeable majority of voters, regardless of age, ethnicity or political orientation, said they support strengthening pre-trial detention laws.
The poll results reflect public concern about crime, which two-thirds of city voters – 66% – identified as the biggest problem facing Albuquerque residents, Sanderoff said.
“It is not uncommon to see local news in the newspaper or on television from people who have been released from prison after being charged with heinous crimes,” he said.
Even voters who ignore the pre-trial detention debate could have a profound reaction to these news reports, Sanderoff said.
Support was weakest among self-proclaimed liberal voters and young voters. But even among these groups, sizeable majorities said they support stricter pre-trial detention laws.
Among Liberal voters, 60% said they support the move and 18% are against.
Of the 18- to 34-year-olds, 62% supported their support and 25% opposed it. Support increased with each subsequent age group, with 81% of voters 65 and over expressing support and only 5% against.
Support was particularly strong among voters who said they would vote for Sheriff Manuel Gonzales of Bernalillo County in his bid for mayor. Of Gonzales’s voters, 89% were in favor of stricter pre-trial detention laws and only 6% were against.
Gonzales will compete against Mayor Tim Keller and radio talk show host Eddy Aragon in the city’s mayoral competition on November 2nd.
Among the Keller voters, 70% were in favor of stricter pre-trial detention laws, while 13% were against. The vote among Aragon’s voters was 85%.
No significant differences based on gender and race were observed. But the level of education influenced the mood of voters on the subject.
Of those with a high school diploma or less, 88% supported stricter laws on pre-trial detention and only 4% opposed it.
Of college-educated voters, 67% were in favor of stricter laws and 14% were against.
The poll, held October 15-21, was based on a scientific, city-wide sample of 536 likely regular local election voters. The sample of voters has an error rate of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points. The error rate increases for partial samples.
All interviews were conducted by live professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households who did not initially answer the phone.
Both mobile phone numbers (82%) and landline connections (18%) were used.
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