In May, Low Staffing levels at the Doña Ana County Detention Facility forced County Officials to close the Juvenile Detention Center and move detainees to a portion of the adult facility that was completely separated by both sight and sound. Detention Center Director Chris Barela says it’s a difficult job, made that much harder when the detention center is short staffed.
“There are long hours,” Barela said. “They work 12 hours at a time. You’re dealing with people each and every day of questionable character, questionable charges, and questionable behaviors. You’re questioned often at you’re job by a number of people that don’t necessarily want to follow the rules, one of the reasons why they are in a detention facility. It becomes very difficult just dealing with that if your fully staffed.”
The detention center is authorized to hire 185 officers. In May 69 positions were open with 17 in the academy. That number has gotten better, right now there are 47 positions vacant with 10 in the academy, and 16 prepared to enter an academy starting in February.
Commissioner Ben Rawson says he’s glad to see there is a plan in place to get and keep the facility staffed.
“I’m not pleased that the juvenile detention center was closed,” Rawson said. “I am pleased with what Chris Barela is doing to get it reopened. I think it was evidenced by his having an academy with only 10 cadets that he was trying to get people certified as quickly as possible, so that we can get that bad reopened.”
Barela says since the juveniles have been moved the officer to detainee ratio has improved from 1:10 to 1:4 and the amount of violence in the facility has gone down.
“The actual number of fights have gone down,” Barela said. “The number of assaults from detainee on staff have gone down in this new facility. The facility is still direct supervision.”
Sara Melton, an organizer with New Mexico CAFé says they still have concerns about the safety of the children in the facility.
“First of all there is lower number of children then at the old facility,” Melton said. “So, those numbers are skewed anyway around safety. There are concerns about privacy with our children, their ability to see their parents. Their ability to have privacy with legal counsel, and their own therapists and counselors. As well as we are hearing increased levels of violence between inmates as well, so those concerns did not get addressed today.”
Barela says violence is down in the facility, and all of the privacy needs they are required to provide are being provided.
He says one of the main reasons staffing levels are improving quickly is a new compensation plan with a 2 and a half percent salary increase.
“The compensation plan, again I’ll go to that,” Barela said. “I think is the foundation to us keeping our officers in our facility. It has a step plan increase per year built in to it, and hopefully that will keep them where they need to be as far as compensation goes. And the rest is our responsibility to make sure that our staffing ratios stay appropriate, that we are recruiting diligently and aggressively, and that we retain the people we need to retain.”
Sarah Melton with New Mexico CAFé says they are pleased a plan is in place to reopen the facility, and plan to keep monitoring the progress.
“I would like to see more urgency from the commission on this issue,” Melton said. “You know we were excited to hear there was a deadline of May, and there is a plan to reach it. But the lack of urgency around the safety and wellbeing of our children from the commission is concerning to us.”
County Commissioner Billy Garrett says this is an important issue, and the commission wants the juvenile facility reopened as soon as possible.
“I think they misread the commission,” Garret said. “Commissioner Garcia and I in particular have been vocal about this, and I don’t believe there is any commissioner who has spoken against it.”
The juvenile facility was originally scheduled to be closed for 2 years; if it is opened in May of 2016 it will be one year ahead of schedule.
