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Albuquerque's West Side jail short staffed

Personnel shortage contributes to dilemma

By Kate Nash
Saturday, December 15, 2007

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Even if Bernalillo County had the authority to raise enough taxes to operate new jail space, which it doesn't, it would be at least two years until inmates could move in.

And even if the county could issue bonds for another 1,536 beds, which it can't, it would take more money to add those beds than it did to build the Metropolitan Detention Center in 2002.

Those problems aside, jail officials say they have an even more pressing need: staff.

"If we had a facility, I'd have a hard time recruiting people," detention center director Ron Torres said of corrections officers.

"It's a thankless job that's not valued," Torres added. "You have to be a counselor, a police officer, a mental health expert, a parent and sometimes a babysitter."

As it is, the current jail on Albuquerque's West Side is short about 50 corrections officers of its 332 positions. It has, however, added about 50 to its ranks since the county took control of the jail system in July 2006.

The shortage of officers was just one of the topics that came up during Friday's day-long summit on jail issues. The meeting, attended by about 40 public safety and judicial officials, was aimed at promoting better communication between key players so the jail officials can reduce the facility's population, which has been 300 to 500 people over capacity in recent months.

While the number of correctional officers isn't projected to grow, the inmate population is.

Paul Guerin, a researcher with the Institute for Social Research at the University of New Mexico, predicted the jail population would reach 3,100 people by August of 2008.

When the county built the new jail in 2002, it had been ordered to stay within a 585-inmate cap at its Downtown jail, because of a 1995 lawsuit over inmate crowding.

Combine more inmates with longer lengths of stay in jail - up from 16 days in January 2001 to 25 days in October 2007 - and the jail isn't likely to solve its problems soon, county and criminal justice officials acknowledge.

But they are trying, and the summit was seen as a major step, in part because city and county officials for years have fought over the jail's budget and control. Three facilitators at the meeting urged attendees to "be present" and to "respect each other" during a morning session at the Mid-Region Council of Governments.

The county is considering asking the Legislature for additional taxing authority. If that's approved, the county then would have the option of increasing taxes to pay for operating costs for the jail.

Still, the problems are daunting. More inmates and moderate budget increases mean added stress on the fiscal bottom line. Costs - especially for inmate medical and mental health care - are climbing.

Between the 2005 and 2008 fiscal years, the amount the jail spent on medical and mental health increased from $4.6 million to $9.4 million, or 106 percent, Torres said.

Torres blamed a lawsuit known as McClendon, which he said is requiring the jail to hire a certain level of staff to deal with inmates' needs.

Along with health care, lawyers who filed the lawsuit also have said they are concerned with the low levels of staffing at the jail, something county officials say they are trying to fix.

So what else can the county do to curb its population?

"I think we're doing it," Torres said. "There's not any single answer."