Commissioners call for remodeling of Doña Ana County Detention Center

LAS CRUCES — Two Doña Ana County commissioners conducting their detention center’s required annual inspection reported sky-high prices for certain commissary items when they presented their findings to the commission Tuesday.

Commissioners Susana Chaparro and Gloria Gameros differed in their observations of Doña Ana County Detention Center's cleanliness but both gave its staff high marks for professionalism and morale. 

They also agreed the detention center is in dire need of remodeling and expansion, with Chaparro questioning whether it was feasible and cost-effective for the detention center to welcome increasing flows of federal prisoners.

Chairman Manuel Sanchez remarked on the unusually detailed inspection report, typically a quick agenda item each year. “I think this is probably the most in-depth and most feedback we’ve received since I’ve been on (the board),” Sanchez said.

The 30-year-old adult detention facility was expanded in 2000, with 846 beds in a 166,543-square-foot living space with glass partitions allowing for supervision of those in custody, as reported by the county in 2021. The 50-bed juvenile detention center was built in 2000.

A county spokesperson said several upgrades have been completed or are underway, including a kitchen renovation and energy-efficiency improvements for lighting, cooling and heating systems. 

"While other projects are currently underway, we are always looking for ways to improve our facility to increase the comfort and well-being of those incarcerated as well as staff," a statement from Doña Ana County Detention Center read.

Chaparro said she provided two hours’ notice for her visit and found staff and medical areas “amazingly clean.” However, Gameros — who told the Journal she scheduled her visit three days in advance and arrived two hours late — detailed numerous concerns about messy conditions in inmate areas and observation cells.

Gameros reported evidence of mineral deposits in sinks and discolored water. She expressed doubts that medical areas and facilities such as gurneys were being consistently sanitized after use, noting this presented risks to staff and people in custody alike.

“Just because they’re in jail doesn’t mean it should not be sanitary for them,” she said.

The detention center acknowledged concerns about cleanliness and told the Journal more cleaning crews were being assigned "with enhanced oversight and increased enforcement of facility rules related to vandalism and cleanliness." 

The commissioners said inmates they interviewed reported that food quality was “hit or miss” and that there were complaints about uniforms sometimes coming back from the laundry wet or with mildewy odors.

Both commissioners suggested some of the problems arose from aging facilities and called for remodeling and adding space, reporting that laundry facilities, kitchen and medical areas, break rooms and pods for attorney-client consultations were all cramped, with deteriorating furnishings and plumbing. Chaparro said there were inadequate emergency exits in some staff areas.

“That detention center is old,” Chaparro said. “We need an expansion, and there’s room to the northwest side.”

The commissioners also agreed that prices for some commissary items were excessive.

Since 2018, commissary services at the detention center have been provided under contract by Keefe Commissary Network, which serves over 650,000 inmates across the U.S., according to its website. The 2018 contract, which has been renewed into 2027, provides the county with a 45% commission on sales.

Gameros reported that a box of tampons goes for $48.32, with sanitary napkins provided for free. A pair of Velcro sneakers goes for nearly $80, she said, while boxes of cereal run between $10 and $12.

Vending machines, also operated by Keefe, were reported to sell items at even higher prices. According to a 2023 addendum adding vending machines to Keefe’s contract, the county receives a 35% commission on items sold.

While prices for many items were comparable to what Gameros found at retail outlets, she told Andrews and her fellow commissioners, “There are some prices there that they really need to look into.”

The detention center said a review of commissary prices is underway, noting that some items are only sold in bulk due to cost. 

"We are working to offer small quantities of items that can be purchased individually at a much lower cost," the detention center statement read. "Some items mentioned are more expensive than community pricing simply due to the requirements that must be met for their inclusion into a correctional facility."

Algernon D'Ammassa is the Journal's southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.