Santa Fe, NM - Legislation to give judges access to the full criminal histories of violent repeat offenders passed the Senate Public Affairs Committee today.

House Bill 72, also known as "Jaydon's Law," is sponsored by Rep. Nate Gentry. The bill is named for Jaydon Chavez-Silver, an Albuquerque teen who was killed during a drive-by shooting while at a house party. It passed the Senate committee unanimously.

"Judges need this information to inform their pre-trial and sentencing decisions and protect our communities," said Gentry. "Making this change is an easy step we can take help reduce New Mexico's violent crime rates."

Current law prohibits judges from considering the juvenile record of an adult offender when making pre-trial release decisions. Jaydon's Law would change the Criminal Procedure Act to allow judges to review an adult defendant's prior record as a youth offender. It will also give judges access to other information, such as evidence presented during past hearings for youth offenses.

The bill would not apply to juvenile offenses committed prior to the age of 14 or to juvenile delinquent offenses. It is targeted specifically at older juveniles found guilty of committing serious violent youth offenses such as second degree murder, aggravated battery and rape.

Nicole Chavez, the mother of Jaydon Chavez-Silver, issued the following statement after the vote by the Senate Public Affairs Committee:

"I am extremely happy that Jaydon's Law has passed another committee. I feel hopeful that this bill will pass the Senate. This bill just makes sense, it gives judges another tool to utilize in order to make the overall decision based on an individual's full criminal history."