A state task force asked to consider whether a unified corrections system in the state would solve staffing, funding and other concerns is not recommending that option but instead is suggesting a number of “targeted” improvements for the state's jails and prisons.
Several members of the task force presented the group's final report and some of its findings Tuesday in Santa Fe before the state Legislative Health and Human Services Committee. Justin Porter, Chaves County Detention Center administrator and chair of the Detention Affiliate for the New Mexico Counties group, is a task force member and was one of the presenters.
The task force was established by Senate Memorial 6 and House Memorial 11 in February 2022 and started work in April. It received technical assistance from policy analysts with the Crime and Justice Institute, funded by a bureau of the U.S. Department of Justice. The task force looked at data and information on New Mexico's jails and prisons as well as the experiences of seven states that have, or did have, centralized jail and prison systems.
The group's research indicated that states with unified systems experienced some of the same challenges as those with separate state- and county-run detention facilities. The challenges include significant staff shortages, problems meeting inmates' behavioral health needs, communication difficulties, lack of information sharing and inmate transportation problems. That conclusion led task force members to decide that some initial reforms are needed before New Mexico can undertake a comprehensive restructuring.
“The task force came to their conclusion … that smaller and more targeted solutions will be more effective at this time than a full system restructure,” said Celeste Gander of the Crime and Justice Institute. “So the task force does not at this time recommend the unification of correction and jail systems.”
Instead, the group described nine priorities that should occur in state prisons and county jails to improve outcomes, security and operations. Those include encouraging all detention facilities to participate in information-sharing platforms that could provide real-time data.
Other recommendations are to enable cross-agency collaboration, which could include adding a detention facility expert to the New Mexico Sentencing Commission and using some of the federal funding available to improve internet connectivity to fund infrastructure improvements that would allow more virtual court appearances and hearings, which task force members said would increase safety and decrease transportation costs and staffing needs.
The task force also recommended improving behavioral health care in communities to divert those with substance abuse, mental health problems and homelessness from jails, as well as increasing the RISE funding for current behavioral health programs for inmates. They also urge efforts to help with detention officer hiring and recruitment. Other recommendations include continuing studies on inmate populations and trends that could improve facility functions and aid inmates and their families.
Grace Philips, general counsel for the New Mexico Counties group, also advocates for more funding, especially for county-run centers. One idea would be for cities to contribute some money. Currently, county-run facilities house both municipal and county residents but pay the bulk of the cost of operating facilities. It also could mean fully funding the State Inmate Reimbursement Fund, which was allocated $5 million a year when created in 2007 but has received about half of that in recent years.
“The five-year average for that (cost of housing state prisoners) has been $7.5 million a year,” said Philips. “Last year for the first time, you got it up to $5 million again. This year we really think it needs to be $7.5 million.”
Porter of the Chaves County Detention Center discussed some of the challenges nationwide and statewide with hiring and retaining detention officers. In August, six county facilities in New Mexico had detention officer vacancies of around 50%. The state corrections facilities gave their vacancy rate as 29.2% for the year.
“In some cases, this has caused some detention centers to move some of the detainees from their facilities to other facilities, essentially passing off some of that responsibility,” Porter said.
Some of the possible solutions could include creating a hiring and retention fund as has been done for educators and law enforcement officers which could include such incentives as retention bonuses and tuition reimbursement. Another recommendation is to change state law to allow retired corrections officers to return to work.
New Mexico also could develop a reciprocity program so that detention professionals who received academy instruction in other states would be recognized for their efforts in New Mexico. Various professional development programs also could be implemented, including a statewide training academy program.
“The training requirements for detention centers are established by the counties that those detention centers are in,” Porter said.
He said the New Mexico Counties accreditation program, which has been completed by 10 county detention facilities in New Mexico, could be expanded and enhanced to create a statewide corrections officer training academy program, with the help of the state Department of Corrections and its academy for state corrections officers.
Lisa Dunlap can be reached at 575-622-7710, ext. 351, or reporter02@rdrnews.com.
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