Judges, state public defenders and city officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are taking steps to break a cycle of missed court dates and arrest warrants for offenses related to homelessness that has contributed to a county jail population roughly half composed of people experiencing homelessness. Beginning July 1, when Albuquerque police issue citations for nine offenses associated with homelessness—including obstructing a sidewalk, unlawful camping and unlawful storage of personal property—they will schedule related court appearances for Fridays under a new initiative by Presiding Criminal Division Judge Michelle Castillo Dowler.
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County has seen the number of people designated as "transient" or homeless soar to nearly 12,000 in 2025 from 3,670 in 2022. Last week, nearly 53% of people booked at the jail were recorded as homeless. Court data shows that charges for the nine offenses scheduled for Friday hearings rose from 579 cases between January and April 2025 to 2,072 during the same period this year.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates and public defenders say the Friday court initiative represents a step toward addressing what they characterize as punitive policies that trap homeless individuals in cycles of incarceration. "We can't simply just cycle vulnerable individuals through jail and back out on the street," Mayor Tim Keller said at a recent news conference, echoing concerns raised by criminal justice reform groups.
Dennica Torres, district defender for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender, said her office has been working since last year alongside the district attorney's office and courts to address homelessness-related caseload. The Friday hearings are designed as what Torres called "a one-stop shop" where a caseworker and attorney from the public defender's office will be present, with local treatment and service providers available outside the courtroom.
The city of Albuquerque has set aside $200,000 for a city attorney or paralegal to assist with the Friday effort. Advocates have long argued that housing-first approaches and investment in social services are more effective than criminalizing homelessness.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative critics say the increase in enforcement reflects legitimate public safety concerns about encampments and quality-of-life issues that affect residents and businesses. Mayor Keller has defended the Albuquerque Police Department's approach while acknowledging its limitations. "What we're doing is following the letter of the law," he said previously. "There are much more punitive things that I'm sure a lot of people would want, that we don't do because they're inappropriate."
Some local officials argue that enforcement tools remain necessary even as alternative approaches are explored. The Keller administration has also increasingly deployed city crews to clear encampments alongside ramping up citation and arrest activity for homelessness-related offenses.
What the Numbers Show
According to previously unreported county data analyzed by ProPublica, charges under Albuquerque's tenure have increased dramatically: 1,256 sidewalk obstruction charges were filed in 2025, nearly six times the number of cases in the previous eight years combined. More than 3,000 trespassing charges were handed out in 2025—the highest for any year since 2017. Unlawful camping cases increased to 704 from 113 the previous year.
The disparity is stark: while Albuquerque's homeless population more than doubled from 2022 to 2025, the increase in homeless people jailed by the county more than tripled. Court data shows that some individuals cited for homelessness-related offenses lacked fixed addresses and cellphones, making it difficult to appear for scheduled court dates—a factor judges identified as contributing to warrant issuance.
The Bottom Line
The Friday court initiative represents a system-level adjustment designed to reduce missed appearances and subsequent warrants, rather than addressing the underlying causes of homelessness. Judges anticipate that consolidating city ordinance cases on a specific day each week will streamline proceedings and connect defendants with services more efficiently. Whether this procedural change meaningfully alters outcomes for people caught in cycles of citation and arrest will depend on broader investment in housing and treatment resources—a question the new system alone does not answer.