Exploring 10 Prisons in New Mexico: Facilities and Programs

The prison system in New Mexico has been the subject of ongoing scrutiny and debate in recent years.

With a high incarceration rate and a history of inmate mistreatment and inadequate facilities, many advocates are calling for significant reforms to improve the conditions of those behind bars.

In this article, we will explore the current state of prisons in New Mexico, including the challenges they face and the efforts being made to address them.

We will also examine the impact of the criminal justice system on communities across the state and the role that advocates, policymakers and ordinary citizens can play in promoting positive change.

New Mexico Prison Map

Use the New Mexico prison map below to locate any facility. Click on the map markers to read our detailed guide of that facility.

State Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Central New Mexico Correctional Facility	Los Lunas, New Mexico	2,605	Multi-Level	Male	New Mexico Corrections Department
Guadalupe County Correctional Facility	Santa Rosa, New Mexico	900	Mixed	Male	Management & Training Corporation
Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility	Clayton, New Mexico	625	Level III	Male	Town of Clayton
Penitentiary of New Mexico	Santa Fe, New Mexico	781	Level II, IV/V, VI (Super-max)	Male	New Mexico Corrections Department
Roswell Correctional Center	Hagerman, New Mexico	340	Level II	Mixed	New Mexico Corrections Department
Springer Correctional Center	Springer, New Mexico	600	Level I, II	Female	New Mexico Corrections Department
Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility	Near Las Cruces, NM	330	Medium and Minimum Restricted	Male	New Mexico Corrections Department
Western New Mexico Correctional Facility	Grants, NM	673	Reception and Diagnostic Center, Level III and IV	Male and Female	Transitioned from private to public operation in November 2021

Central New Mexico Correctional Facility

Central New Mexico Correctional Facility (CNMCF) is a multi-mission prison complex that was built in 1980 as a 480-bed medium custody facility.

Over the years, it has expanded to include Level I, Level II, and Main Facility units, and now serves as a Reception and Diagnostic Center, Mental Health Treatment Center (MHTC), Long Term Care Unit, and Geriatric Unit.

At CNMCF, the safety and well-being of all inmates is a top priority, and the facility is committed to providing the best medical, mental health, education, vocational, and security services to all inmates.

To ensure this, the employees at CNMCF are provided with proper training, tools, and a safe working environment, and encouraged to collaborate and share ideas across all departments. The facility strives to maintain the confidence of the public and inmates’ families by promoting a culture of teamwork and excellence.

Guadalupe County Correctional Facility

The Guadalupe County Correctional Facility is a private prison located in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. It spans 440 acres and is 191,400 square feet. The facility began construction in 1997 and received its first inmates in January 1999.

Its primary mission is to maintain the safety of the public, employees, and inmates while perpetuating an atmosphere conducive to efficient work and programming activities.

The facility comprises one main building that houses the administrative, medical, and program areas along with housing units, an intake area, a main control center, supply/warehouse, laundry, kitchen, food service, staff dining hall, visitation, commissary, security, restrictive housing, county, and four vocational workshops.

Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility

The Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility (NENMCF) is a Level III designated facility that is dedicated to maintaining the highest quality of corrections.

The facility, which is owned by the Town of Clayton, is committed to ensuring public safety through the highest ethical standards and dedication from its staff. The NENMCF is located on 15 acres just four miles southeast of Clayton, NM, and covers an area of 179,624 square feet.

The facility can be accessed by Highway 87 (Texas Highway) on the north side of the road or by Highway 56/64 (Oklahoma Highway) on the south side of the road. The NENMCF received its first inmate in August 2008, one year after its construction in 2007.

Penitentiary of New Mexico

The Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM) is a high-security prison located along the old Turquoise Trail, 14 miles south of Santa Fe.

As the Department’s only super-max facility, it houses the highest security classification of offenders in the state of New Mexico. The complex comprises three facilities: Level-II, a minimum-restrict unit; Level-IV/V, and Level-VI, which house the highest security classification of offenders.

PNM maintains its nationally accredited status by the American Correctional Association and provides a balanced system approach to corrections from incarceration to community-based supervision with training, education, programs, and services that provide opportunities for offenders to transition to communities.

The “level system” within the New Mexico Corrections Department requires that an inmate or inmates who cannot be managed in general population, and/or cannot function in general population due to criteria established policy will be separated from the general population.

The management of such inmates will be based upon behaviorally based step programs, in which increased privileges are granted to inmates who demonstrate appropriate behavior for a specified period of time.

Roswell Correctional Center

The Roswell Correctional Center, located in Hagerman, New Mexico, is a Level II facility with a capacity of 340 inmates. Originally opened in 1978 as a Minimum Facility (Level I) with a capacity of 65, the Department of Corrections determined a need for additional Level II beds in January 2000.

The center provides various programming and treatment opportunities, including education programs, a welding program with certification, a substance abuse community, and a volunteer fire department. The facility boasts a large volunteer base, with over 100 volunteers providing religious support and other services.

Despite its small location in a Southeast New Mexico community of approximately 1,100 residents, the Roswell Correctional Center serves an important role in the state’s correctional system.

Springer Correctional Center

Springer Correctional Center (SCC) is a correctional facility located in New Mexico. The facility was established as the New Mexico Boys’ School in 1909 and covers approximately 4,000 acres, with the main compound covering around 40 acres.

The majority of the facility was built in the mid-1960s and consists of ten separate living units designed as an open campus. The facility also utilizes some of the acreage for growing alfalfa to feed the facility’s cattle during winter.

In 2005, the Children, Youth & Family Department decided to close the juvenile facility, and the New Mexico Corrections Department deemed it suitable to house Level 1 & 2 inmates. SCC officially opened on January 1, 2007, and transitioned to a women’s facility in 2016.

The facility consists of approximately 22 buildings, including dormitories, housing units, multi-program buildings, maintenance buildings, a kitchen, dining, warehouse facilities, and a gym complex.

Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility

Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility (SNMCF) is a medium-security and minimum-restrict facility located near Las Cruces, New Mexico. As an organization, SNMCF is dedicated to maintaining the highest level of excellence in corrections to ensure public safety.

The employees at SNMCF are committed to serving the citizens of New Mexico with the utmost ethical standards.

The facility was built on the west mesa, offering a stunning view of the Mesilla Valley and the Organ Mountains. Since 1996, SNMCF has housed inmates classified as Level II in their minimum-restricted facility with a capacity of 330.

Western New Mexico Correctional Facility

Western New Mexico Correctional Facility, located in Cibola County, City of Grants, New Mexico, consists of two facilities.

The first facility is the Reception and Diagnostic Center for female offenders, as well as a Level III-General Population and Level IV-General Population for female offenders in the New Mexico Corrections Department.

The facility is primarily focused on Re-Entry, Education, Employment opportunities, as well as Peer Education programs. The second facility is a medium custody male facility with a capacity of 673 beds. In November 2021, the facility transitioned from private to public operation.

Private Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Lea County Correctional Facility	Hobbs, NM	3100	Medium	Male	The GEO Group, Inc.
Otero County Prison Facility	Chaparral, NM	1590	Mixed	Mixed	Management & Training Corporation

Lea County Correctional Facility

The Lea County Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in Hobbs, New Mexico. It is owned by Correctional Properties Trust and operated by The GEO Group, Inc.

This 350,000 square-foot facility is situated on 60 acres leased from Lea County and is located four miles NW of Hobbs, NM off State Highway 18, two miles west of the Lea County Event Center on the grounds of a WWII airbase.

The prison is contracted by Lea County to house NMCD male offenders and employs 312 staff and security personnel. Construction of the facility began in November 1997, and it received its first inmates in May 1998.

The mission of the Lea County Correctional Facility is to confine offenders in a safe, humane, and secure environment while providing positive self-improvement opportunities for staff and inmates. It also aims to establish and maintain a safe, supportive workplace for all employees.

Otero County Prison Facility

The Otero County Prison Facility (OCPF) is a correctional institution located in New Mexico that works in collaboration with the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD). The facility has dedicated its west wing to house and educate NMCD inmates.

Recently, OCPF completed the upgrade of its inside perimeter fence to enable outside recreation and the use of the Sweat Lodge by inmates.

The management of the facility, Management & Training Corporation, believes that programmatic activities and a positive environment provided by competent staff can greatly enhance the chances for confined individuals to adjust appropriately to the correctional institution and to society upon release.

One of the programs offered at OCPF is the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP), which is available to state inmates.

Sources: