ADDITIONAL VIOLENT FELONIES

HB 280 would expand New Mexico's definition of "violent felony" to include specific crimes like aggravated battery against household members, certain child abuse cases resulting in great bodily harm, and criminal sexual penetration. It would require mandatory life imprisonment without parole (except for medical or geriatric reasons) for individuals convicted of three separate violent felony offenses. The bill also specifies that juvenile convictions before age 18 do not count toward the "three strikes" unless the person was sentenced as an adult, and out-of-state violent felony convictions would be treated as violent felonies under New Mexico law. This law would directly affect repeat violent offenders by eliminating parole eligibility after three qualifying convictions.