NM county going to court over jail conditions

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County attorneys are due in court later this month to defend jail conditions inside the unit where female inmates, women in protective custody and others are held.

U.S. District Judge James Parker has ordered the county and other defendants in a long-running civil case to appear in court March 28. The hearing will center on whether female inmates with different risk or treatment classifications should be housed together.

Meanwhile, county officials tell the Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/VSq28v) that they're evaluating whether to ship some inmates to other jails in the state to free up space.

Deputy County Manager Tom Swisstack says overcrowding is a factor and the proposed transferring of inmates could start in April. He couldn't say how many inmates would be involved or how much the transfers might cost.