The Line: Plea Deals

This week on New Mexico in Focus, our line opinion panelists talk about recent coverage of a plea deal for Andrew Romero, who is accused of killing Rio Rancho police officer Gregg “Nigel” Benner during a traffic stop last month.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that Romero was supposed to be in a drug treatment center in northern New Mexico, but he never arrived at the facility after he was released from the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Who should get plea deals and when are they not appropriate? How is the debate about plea deals part of a larger conversation about the justice system in our state?

Host Gene Grant and this week’s line opinion panelists take on these questions and more.

LINE PANELISTS:
Diane Denish, former New Mexico Lieutenant Governor
Tom Garrity, The Garrity Group
Viki Harrison, Common Cause New Mexico
Phil C. Marquez, Talk Radio, Inc.