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Calvin Morton started making changes in his new job as warden at the Regional Correctional Center right at the front door - literally.

Since taking over as the head of the Downtown jail in early October, Morton has boosted security, starting with the lockup's entrance.

All staff members and visitors now face increased scrutiny as they go through metal detectors, he said.

"We've directed them to put all their items in a clear container if possible. If not in a clear container, we would be looking into their briefcases or whatever they are bringing in, lunchboxes or whatever the case might be to examine those and make sure there is no contraband in it," Morton said.

The change is one of several that Morton, who has worked in corrections for more than three decades, is bringing to the jail at a key point in the facility's history. The jail at Fourth Street and Roma Avenue Northwest is looking to regain about 700 detainees of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency - clients it lost this summer.

"We have a lot of empty beds here," Morton said. "We're looking at contracts we might be able to get into our facility to fill those beds."

This summer, ICE pulled all of its detainees from the lockup. The agency has mostly been mum about why, but an internal review turned up problems including deficiencies in medical care, contraband in the jail and a lack of complete emergency plans.

About 180 detainees of the U.S. Marshals Office remain at the jail, which can hold nearly 1,000 people.

Between January and August of this year, inmates filed 218 complaints about conditions in the jail. As Cornell struggled to improve the facility, 19 employees were fired. And because it lost so many detainees, the Houston-based company laid off another 96 employees. Eighty-six staff-members remain.

Just as lawyers for inmates involved in a 12-year-old lawsuit about jail conditions are focused on the lockup, Morton, too is focused on the future of the jail.

The lawsuit, known as McClendon, said that the jail - known as the Bernalillo County Detention Center when the lawsuit was filed - was jampacked and providing subpar medical care.

The facility has since been turned over to Cornell, and all the county's inmates are housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center, built on the West Side.

Inmate attorneys, however, say the lawsuit should still apply to the Regional Correction Center, an issue before Chief District Court Judge Martha Vazquez.

Meanwhile, Morton wants additional cameras to monitor the jail's back door, where inmates enter and exit the lockup.

"We're going to add more cameras, move some cameras into new locations, so we can see more into our facility," he said.

Morton, one of several wardens since Cornell started operating the jail in 2002, also will appoint a two-person investigative team dedicated to getting to the bottom of any problems that arise.

"That's going to put a lot more eyes into this institution," he said.

The team would be in charge of jobs like increasing the number of shakedowns in the cells to check for inmates with contraband, he said.

Contraband was one problem cited in a recent review of the facility by an ICE employee.

Another report recently cited unsupervised recreation as a problem at the RCC.

Morton, who most recently was warden at the D. Ray James Prison in Folkston, Ga., said he's working on additional recreational programs to keep inmates physically active.

While recent review of the jail said communication was a strong point at the RCC, Morton said that's another area he'd like to improve.

"The breakdown of communication in our facility is a downfall sometimes. I want to get our counselors, case managers on the units more, talking to the inmates and conversing with them, knowing what their concerns might be, so they can filter that information back to me."

Apart from changes in the building and the programs for detainees, Morton hopes to better recognize the jail's employees.

His ideas, so far, include more employee-of-the-quarter awards, with a higher bonus check to reward exemplary staff.

"A lot of times, we don't do enough for our staff. We take our staff for granted, and I don't want to do that," he said.