Commission hears detention center report as juvenile housing costs surge

Curry County commissioners received a detailed report on the adult detention center on Oct. 21 that emphasized a rise in juvenile housing costs and ongoing efforts to comply with state reporting requirements.

Luis Alaniz presented the third‑quarter restrictive housing report submitted under New Mexico House Bill 364 and a departmental September operational report. Alaniz told the commission the facility remains compliant with restrictive housing mandates and noted two minor regulatory deficiencies from routine inspections had been corrected.

Alaniz also gave operational statistics for September: an average daily population of 173, 145 detainees booked (38 first‑time bookings), and 901 completed video visitations. He reported specific billing totals: juvenile billing for September was $118,897.50 compared with $29,754 billed for adult detention during the same month.

Commissioners pressed staff on the budgetary impact. Manager Powell confirmed the county budgeted $1,000,000 this fiscal year for out‑of‑county juvenile housing and reported $608,720 remained at the time of the meeting. Commissioners raised broader concerns about juvenile crime trends, limited programming for juveniles, and persistent re‑booking of repeat offenders.

Alaniz and commissioners discussed efforts to capture accurate daily housing costs and the county’s ongoing conversations with state legislators and New Mexico Counties regarding reimbursement. Commissioners also asked about facility maintenance (plumbing in older pods) and staff training; Alaniz said preventive maintenance and more frequent inspections were underway.

What happens next: staff will continue quarterly reporting on juvenile billing, pursue negotiation or reimbursement options for high medical/detainee bills, and present updated fiscal recommendations if grant applications fail or funding gaps worsen.