Finding Solutions to Complex Criminal Justice Issues: Q&A with New CSG Justice Center Advisory Board Member Justice Briana Zamora

The CSG Justice Center Advisory Board establishes the policy and project priorities of the organization. The board features a cross-section of leaders who shape criminal justice policy in various parts of the country.

Justice Briana Zamora

Justice Briana Zamora has served at all levels of the New Mexico Judiciary. She began a decade-long career as a trial court judge on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and then served on the Second Judicial District Court. She was appointed to the state court of appeals in 2018 and over 2 years later joined the state supreme court. She serves as the supreme court’s liaison to several judicial commissions, including the Commission on Mental Health and Competency, the Children’s Court Improvement Commission, the Children’s Court Judges Association, and the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium.

Editor’s note: Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.    

What inspired you to join the CSG Justice Center Advisory Board? What unique perspective do you feel you bring to the board?

The CSG Justice Center serves a critical role as a nonpartisan organization bringing together people from all branches of government. Too often, the judiciary is left out of conversations about criminal justice reform despite having daily experience with people moving through the justice system. Serving on the advisory board provides me with an amazing opportunity to have a voice in criminal justice reform at the national level.

A decade of handling criminal cases as a trial court judge has allowed me to see the positive change that effective treatment courts can bring to the lives of people with behavioral health disorders and conditions such as homelessness. As a judge, I also worked on prevention through a public outreach program, Courts to School, that brought the courtroom experience to schools to show the dangers of DWI and try to keep young people out of the criminal justice system. At the supreme court, we created a Commission on Mental Health and Competency that spurred development of competency diversion programs and a broader discussion in our state about treatment for individuals with severe mental illness. I look forward to sharing my passion for improving public safety through evidence-based approaches.

What was a defining moment that solidified your commitment to improving the criminal justice system?

While presiding over criminal cases as a trial court judge, I saw people who have mental illnesses repeatedly cycle in and out of court because they were declared incompetent to stand trial. Their families begged me to help their child. However, my options as a judge were far too limited. Treatment was difficult to obtain in the community and the legal framework for court intervention was very narrow. This experience left me frustrated but committed to finding and implementing meaningful changes in the justice system.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the criminal justice system today, and how can the CSG Justice Center help solve them?

We absolutely must address youth gun violence. States across the country struggle with how to stop gun violence committed most commonly by people under age 25. The CSG Justice Center can work with communities to not only shape policy but assist with implementing evidence-based programs effective in reducing gun violence among our young people. To solve the problem, we need a full toolbox of programs covering not only prevention, such as in our schools, but also focusing on reentry of individuals released from custody. Other challenges include substance use disorder, insufficient long-term behavioral health treatment, and supportive housing for people with severe mental illness. (Editor’s note: Check out the CSG Justice Center’s 50-state analysis on youth crime, violence, and behavioral health.)

What are some innovations happening in your state or field that you think could be successfully replicated across the country?

The New Mexico Supreme Court created a permanent Commission on Mental Health and Competency to bring together a broad mix of viewpoints to help improve how the state’s justice system responds to people with mental illness. Members include people from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government; Tribal governments; criminal justice partners, such as law enforcement, prosecutors, and defense counsel; as well as advocates for behavioral health services and housing. The commission’s work helped in implementing programs, such as competency diversion, and it has focused more public and governmental attention on the urgent need to expand treatment for people with severe mental illness who intersect with the criminal and civil justice systems.

Learn more about the CSG Justice Center’s Advisory Board and its five newest members.

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