New Mexico Statutes 31-21-5. Definitions
As used in the Probation and Parole Act:
Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 31-21-5
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
A. “probation” means the procedure under which an adult defendant, found guilty of a crime upon verdict or plea, is released by the court without imprisonment under a suspended or deferred sentence and subject to conditions;
B. “parole” means the release to the community of an inmate of an institution by decision of the board or by operation of law, subject to conditions imposed by the board and to its supervision;
C. “institution” means the state penitentiary and any other similar state institution hereinafter created;
D. “board” means the parole board;
E. “director” means the director of the adult probation and parole division of the corrections department or any employee designated by the director;
F. “adult” means any person convicted of a crime by a district court; G. “geriatric inmate” means a person who:
(1) is serving a sentence and is confined in a prison or other correctional institution under the control of the corrections department;
(2) is fifty-five years of age or older;
(3) suffers from a debilitating and chronic infirmity, illness or disease related to aging; and
(4) does not constitute a danger to the person’s own self or to society at the time of review;
H. “permanently incapacitated inmate” means a person who:
(1) is serving a sentence and is confined in a prison or other correctional institution under the control of the corrections department;
(2) by reason of an existing medical condition is permanently and irreversibly physically incapacitated; and
(3) does not constitute a danger to the person’s own self or to society at the time of review; and
I. “terminally ill inmate” means a person who:
(1) is serving a sentence and is confined in a prison or other correctional institution under the control of the corrections department;
(2) has an incurable condition caused by illness or disease that will, within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within six months; and
(3) does not constitute a danger to the person’s own self or to society at the time of review.