IPRA Notice
The Inspection of Public Records Act is intended to provide the public with access to information governmental affairs. The law requires public access to virtually all public records with a few exceptions most records are available for public inspection. Each state agency and local governmental entities have designated a records custodian to whom requests to inspect records should be addressed.
Make a Request
To request to inspect records from this office please send a written request to:
Office of General Counsel
c/o Acting Records Custodian David Pardo
New Mexico Corrections Department
PO Box 27116
Santa Fe, NM 87502-0116
Contact Information
Notice of Right to Inspect Public Records
According to the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act, every person has the right to inspect public records of any public body, including the Corrections Department. Not all records maintained by the Corrections Department are subject to inspection. The Act provides various exceptions for certain types of records including but not limited to, medical records, certain law enforcement records, and employee disciplinary actions and performance evaluations
Procedures for Requesting Inspection
A person wishing to inspect public records may submit a request to the records custodian orally or in writing.
However, the procedures and penalties set out in the Act apply only to written requests. The written request must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person making the request. The request must identify the records sought with reasonable particularity. In other words, the request must describe the records in sufficient detail to allow the records custodian to determine whether such records reasonably exist and if so, identify and locate the requested records.
The records custodian must permit inspection immediately, or as soon as is practicable under the circumstances.
If the inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the custodian must provide a written explanation as to when the records will be available for inspection or when the Corrections Department will respond to the request. Because of the large number of requests received by the Department, it is not usually practicable for it to be able to provide inspection immediately or in three business days. The law normally requires the records to be available for inspection and copying within 15 calendar days after receiving a written request. However, the law allows the Corrections Department to take longer than 15 days if it determines that the request is excessively burdensome or broad.
If the written request is denied, the custodian must provide a written explanation of the denial to the person making the request. The denial must be delivered, mailed or e-mailed within 15 days after the request for inspection was received, unless the request has been determined to be excessively burdensome or broad
Procedure for Requesting Copies and Fees
If a person wishes to obtain a copy of any public record, the Corrections Department will charge a reasonable fee for such copies, which must be paid in advance. The fee for documents 11 inches by 17 inches or smaller is 25 cents per page. The fee for larger documents or for records other than hard copy documents will be based upon the Corrections Department’s cost of providing copies and will be determined at the time of the request. A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid will be provided upon request to the person requesting the copies.
For a copy of the Inspection of Public Records Act Compliance Guide, please visit the New Mexico Attorney General’s website at www.nmag.gov.