Created: March 04, 2021 07:29 PM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- A House panel passed a bill that starts the process of phasing out New Mexico's dependency on private prisons. A revised version of House Bill 352 also creates a new moratorium on the state entering into any contracts with private prisons. The bill calls on state leaders to analyze the state's ability to be fully responsible for our own inmates. "The purpose of this bill is really to take back the responsibility that is solely the state's responsibility," said Joachim Marjon, attorney for the ACLU. "If we are going to take people's liberities in every shape and form, we have a duty to make sure it's done right."