Legislators in New Mexico are considering a law that would limit public access to criminal records after a specific period of time. Under existing laws, the public is able to access a defendant’s criminal records indefinitely. Under the proposed law, public access to petty misdemeanor convictions would be eliminated after one year while access to non-violent felonies would be eliminated after ten years. However, convictions for sex crimes and offenses involving firearms would be exempt from this law.
While some criticize the proposed law, its proponents note that that the criminal records would still be accessible to law enforcement and the court system.
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