Commentary: The recent NM CAFÉ Faith and Family Summit highlighted a situation affecting juvenile detainees in Dona Ana County. Last May our county Juvenile Detention Center was closed due to a staff shortage at the Adult Detention Center. Since then juveniles have been housed in the same facility as adults. The staffs were consolidated and a special unit was created for the juveniles.
Why is this a bad plan? Study after study shows the many and varied dangers and abuses to children held in adult facilities. We have no guarantees that our children’s educational, mental and physical health needs are being met while they are being held in the joint facility. Parents cannot physically see their children, they visit by SKYPE. Children who need to be segregated from each other are not just segregated, but isolated. When the facility is full children are taken to Farmington or Gallup to be housed.
Dona Ana County doesn’t have an admirable record when it comes to our detention center. Recent abuse and neglect of detainees has cost the county tens of millions of dollars. Because of this, our elected officials and policy makers should be on high alert for possible problems and illegal situations resulting from the housing of juveniles with adults. There are services mandated to represent and support these children, we must ensure that they are used. Our children should not pay the price for the problems which caused the closure of the Juvenile Detention Center. We are six months into a proposed nine month timeline for reopening the Juvenile Center. Do we need to hold our breath?
Concerned? Then please contact your County Commissioner, County Manager, Julia Brown (575-525-5802), and Detention Center Administrator, Chris Barela (575-647-7600). Our actions can shine a spotlight on the situation, ensuring that these children and their families are not invisible.