EDITORIAL: Repeated erroneous inmate releases at county jail call for much greater oversight

We’ve heard a lot of complaints lately about the revolving door of justice in New Mexico, but it’s getting a bit too literal at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center.

The state’s largest jail mistakingly released an armed robbery suspect on Wednesday. It was MDC’s third erroneous release of an inmate in July.

Forty-four-year-old Desiree Sanchez was booked at the jail on July 17 after being accused of stabbing and robbing a man. Court records show District Judge David Murphy on Tuesday found prosecutors proved “by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety of another person or the community.”

The judge ordered Sanchez held until trial. But her detention didn’t last long. Sanchez was somehow released the next day, on Wednesday.

Court records said Sanchez was “inadvertently released.” So, authorities had to issue a warrant for her arrest. In addition to being a danger to the community, now police have to nab her twice.

It’s still unclear what led to the mistake.

“MDC staff are working with local law enforcement officials in an effort to bring Sanchez back into custody,” MDC spokeswoman Candace Hopkins said last week. “This incident will be investigated by the Metropolitan Detention Center’s Office of Professional Standards.”

We sure hope so.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a one-off. It’s starting to look more like a condition at MDC than an episode.

On July 13, a domestic violence suspect was wrongfully let go due to “human error.”

On July 3, a man jailed on a drug charge was prematurely released due to a “clerical error.”

In between those two incidents, a MDC corrections officer accidentally shot himself in the foot with his duty weapon on July 5 while working at the jail’s exterior security checkpoint.

So that’s one clerical error, one human error, one as-yet unknown error and a Barney Fife-like discharge at MDC, all in July.

Fortunately, the domestic violence suspect returned to the jail after being notified by jail staff. The man jailed on a drug charge with a history of drug-related and property crime charges was arrested by Albuquerque police on Wednesday.

After July’s second erroneous release, MDC officials said that “an exhaustive review of releasing policies and procedures” was underway.

“Effective immediately, a new protocol has been implemented mandating a second release check for all inmates being released from MDC,” officials said at the time.

That’s good: We obviously can’t rely on the honor system at the jail.

Yet, it happened again 11 days later. Thankfully July’s get-of-jail by mistake month is almost over.

We do not wish to be harsh with personnel at the Metropolitan Detention Center. We greatly appreciate them and understand they are essential to public safety in the Metro. Staffing has always been a challenge at MDC because being a corrections officer is one of the toughest jobs out there.

MDC’s corrections officers start out making $20.34 per hour while in training, with pay increases to $21.36 per hour once they complete the academy. New officers are also eligible for hiring incentives up to $5,000, while officers with previous experience in corrections can get up to $10,000 in hiring incentives. And the benefits are solid, including health, dental and vision coverage and a 25-year retirement plan.

Still, we can’t pay those women and men enough, because for them, there’s no such thing as a lazy, routine day at the office when your job is to secure and look after 1,750 inmates, many of whom are accused of murder and other very serious violent crimes.

A corrections job may be recession-proof, but it’s also very dangerous.

MDC is in turmoil, again. Too many things are falling through the cracks. Continuity of leadership is lacking.

Former Metropolitan Detention Center Warden Jason Jones, a former corrections officer who rose through the ranks to become warden, resigned in December two weeks after being placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons. He had been warden at MDC a little more than two years.

Jones took the helm at MDC during a tumultuous time as the facility faced repeated inmate deaths and growing staff vacancies. Back in June 2022, MDC Chief Greg Richardson declared a state of emergency that set aside overtime limits and required correctional officers to come in to work. It was the first time anyone could remember a state of emergency being called at the facility due to short staffing.

Deputy Warden Rosanne Otero Gonzales was named interim warden after Jones’ resignation, followed by the hiring of Steven Kai Smith as the new warden on June 17.

Yet, serious problems persist.

A man who had been severely injured in “two altercations and an escape attempt” at MDC was taken off life support on July 19. Days earlier, a 35-year-old homeless woman died while being housed in a detox unit. Her death is being investigated by the MDC Office of Professional Standards and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator is examining the cause of death.

Since 2020, more than two dozen inmates have died or were fatally injured at the facility. Going to jail should never be a death sentence.

And the staffing woes continue. In mid-November, the MDC staff vacancy rate was reported to be around a third. As of July 15, MDC had 1,754 inmates, about 90% of the facility’s capacity, with 263 corrections officers, about 64% of being fully staffed.

The Metropolitan Detention Center appears to be doing all it can to boost staffing with job hiring fairs, TV ads and billboards that encourage folks to apply to become corrections officers and corrections technicians. We wish them all the luck in recruiting men and women dedicated to public safety and the humane treatment of detainees.

But more oversight is needed. Greater safeguards are clearly needed at MDC. We already have problems with repeat offenders committing new crimes while out on pretrial release. No one should be victimized by an inmate who was erroneously and prematurely released from jail.

While MDC is operated by Bernalillo County, the jail is a jointly funded city-county venture, and therefore a joint responsibility. After three erroneous releases in July, elected leaders can no longer stand by and simply observe. Local and state leaders must get involved.

Investigations independent of MDC should be conducted to ensure the safety of all inmates and staff, adequate staffing levels, and that the jail’s revolving door is jammed shut.