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Four things to know about the Metropolitan Detention Center
The Metropolitan Detention Center outside of Albuquerque.
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The Metropolitan Detention Center is the biggest county jail in the state of New Mexico, with an average population of 1,600 people incarcerated there daily.
Here are four things to know about MDC.
1. There have been three deaths at the jail so far this year.
Three people have died in custody at MDC since January.
A 26-year-old man died at MDC in January, a 23-year-old woman died in an apparent suicide there in May, and a 35-year-old woman died there in July.
There are 30 people who have died or been fatally injured after being booked into MDC since early 2020.
2. MDC got $3 million to increase staffing.
The Bernalillo County jail got a $3 million state grant to pay for the salaries of 21 corrections officers over three years.
The jail has suffered from chronic understaffing and is 64% staffed as of mid-September, with 264 corrections officers. The jail is budgeted for 411 corrections officers.
3. The most recent health care audit found glimmers of progress.
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The audit, conducted by Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar in May as part of a settlement agreement, turned up issues like drugs getting into the facility and delayed or inadequate care for people with special needs. But it also found improvements, like establishing an addiction treatment program and better communication between the medical staff and MDC officers. Anandkumar is not one of the jail's medical providers. He conducts independent audits.
The University of New Mexico Hospital took over providing health care at MDC in July 2023.
4. The county terminated a contract for vital sign monitoring devices earlier this year.
Bernalillo County terminated a contract for devices akin to a smartwatch meant to monitor medically fragile inmates' vital signs in May.
According to county staff, inmates were opting out of wearing the devices. The devices also were frequently losing connection, making the data less reliable and creating more work for jail staff.
