A. A defendant must secure or be appointed defense counsel to be present at a preprosecution diversion screening interview prior to applying for acceptance into a preprosecution diversion program, and, upon applying, the defendant shall waive his constitutional right to a preliminary hearing as set forth in Rule 15(d) of the Rules of Criminal Procedure for the Magistrate Courts [Rule 6-202D NMRA].

Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 31-16A-6

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Preliminary hearing: A hearing where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to make the defendant have a trial.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

B. If a defendant is certified eligible by the district attorney and by the preprosecution diversion program, the defendant shall also waive his constitutional right to a speedy trial and any rights as provided by Rule 37(b) of the Rules of Criminal Procedure for the District Court [Courts] [Rule 5-604B NMRA]. Upon entry of this waiver, the district attorney shall divert the defendant into the preprosecution diversion program and criminal proceedings against the defendant shall be suspended. Participating defendants shall also waive any confidentiality provided by the Arrest Record Information Act [29-10-1 N.M. Stat. Ann.] to permit scrutiny of records; provided that the publication of the personal information, except the name of the defendant, gathered while a defendant is participating in a program shall not be a public record.