McSorley to oversee state parole, probation division
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday (Jan. 8) appointed state Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque, to serve as director of Corrections Department’s Probation and Parole Division.
A lawyer and liberal stalwart who has been in the Legislature since 1984, McSorley has been a longtime advocate for criminal justice reform and will now lead the arm of state government responsible for New Mexicans sentenced to serve probation as well as many released from prison.
In turn, the division oversees substance abuse programs, domestic violence and mental health counseling as well as community corrections programs.
In a statement, McSorley indicated he would continue to push for changes in the state’s justice system.
“Judicial reform improves public safety and saves the taxpayers money,” McSorley said. “Simply incarcerating people is the most expensive and least effective way to bring about public safety, and in New Mexico today we need to adopt more effective measures.”
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth described McSorley’s new job as “well-suited to his passions and strengths.”
The appointment comes as the Corrections Department faces rising recidivism rates, hovering around 50 percent.
Advocates for criminal justice reform have noted many probationers who are locked up again are put behind bars for technical violations of their release -such as failing a drug test – rather than committing a more serious crime.
Meanwhile, some of the division’s probationers have been at the center of some of the most shocking crimes in recent New Mexico history. A suspect in the killing of Victoria Martens, 10, was supposed to be under the supervision of the Probation and Parole Division at the time of the girl’s death in 2016, but was not. Such episodes have raised question about the division’s ability to communicate and work with other sections of law enforcement.
McSorley officially resigned from the state Senate on Tuesday (Jan. 8).
The director’s position pays about $100,000 a year.
The Governor’s Office said the appointment does not fall under a provision of the state constitution that bars legislators from taking a civil office during their term.
Past attorneys general have said the provision applies to appointees who operate independently. The director of the adult probation and parole division, for example, falls under the oversight of the adult parole board.
It will be up to the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners to choose a successor to represent McSorley’s nearly 38-squaremile district, which spans the southeast side of Albuquerque.
Senate leaders, meanwhile, will have to pick other lawmakers to fill his seats on the conservation and judiciary committees.