STATEWIDE YOUTH VIOLENCE SUMMIT

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A MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A STATEWIDE
YOUTH VIOLENCE SUMMIT AND DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE
APPROACH TO MITIGATE YOUTH VIOLENCE AND ESTABLISH
COMMUNITY-BASED VIOLENCE INTERVENTION STRATEGIES.
WHEREAS, youth violence is a significant concern for
New Mexico policymakers, communities, youth, families and the
general public, but New Mexico lacks a unified statewide
vision to address the root causes and risk factors of these
issues; and
WHEREAS, few, if any, targeted resources are allocated
for research-based youth violence prevention or intervention
services across the state, such as credible messengers, peer
supports, restorative justice or violence interrupters, and
these services do not exist at the scale needed; and
WHEREAS, current funding programs for youth who are
involved or at risk of being involved in the juvenile justice
system in New Mexico are not prioritized for the highest-risk
youth or youth engaged in violence; and
WHEREAS, data collection, tracking and reporting around
youth violence is limited and could be strengthened to better
understand the scope and scale of these challenges and the
needs of communities; and
WHEREAS, there is misalignment across state and local
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stakeholders around how to best address youth violence
challenges in the state;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE
STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of health be
requested to convene a statewide youth violence summit to
develop a comprehensive statewide approach to mitigate youth
violence, strengthen public safety and improve youth and
community outcomes and to develop a strategy to expand
research-based community violence prevention and intervention
services; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health
be requested to create a planning group consisting of the
following members to advise the department on the agenda and
other details of the youth violence summit:
A. representatives of the department of health,
the children, youth and families department, the health
care authority, the public education department, the
administrative office of the district attorneys and the chief
public defender;
B. members appointed by the secretary of health
to represent state and local law enforcement agencies, the
children's court, community-based organizations that focus on
helping troubled youth and youth and families who have lived
experience with the juvenile justice system;
C. New Mexico youth and families who have lived
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experience with the juvenile justice system and victims of
youth violence; and
D. two senators and two representatives appointed
by the New Mexico legislative council on recommendation by
the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of
the house of representatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health
and the planning group be requested to develop the agenda
to include speakers and facilitators from New Mexico, other
states that have successful youth violence mitigation
strategies and national experts; educational and
problem-solving panels; and plenary sessions and to advertise
the youth violence summit as a public event; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the goals of the youth
violence summit include:
A. disseminating research and best practices on
youth violence prevention and intervention;
B. disseminating state and local as well as other
states' examples of successful programs;
C. understanding current data trends in youth
violence across New Mexico and the needs of communities;
D. identifying promising approaches and gaps in
youth violence prevention and intervention strategies in
New Mexico;
E. developing recommendations for a statewide
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vision for youth violence prevention and intervention that
centers the voices of youth, families and communities,
including recommendations related to needed investments in
research-based community violence programs;
F. developing strategies for scaling promising
approaches in the state;
G. strengthening data collection and reporting;
H. providing technical assistance and training and
additional support to localities and community stakeholders;
and
I. developing a vision and plan for a statewide
office to oversee and support efforts to mitigate youth
violence; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health
be requested to write a final report detailing the findings
and recommendations of the youth violence summit, including
recommendations for investments and proposed legislation to
implement a comprehensive statewide approach to mitigate
youth violence that includes tested and innovative
community-based violence intervention strategies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health be
requested to present findings and recommendations from the
summit to the appropriate legislative interim committees by
November 1, 2026; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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transmitted to the governor, the department of health, the
health care authority, the children, youth and families
department, the public education department, the
administrative office of the district attorneys for
distribution to district attorneys, the chief public defender
and the administrative office of the courts for dissemination
to children's court judges.