LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) – Dona Ana County officials say a staff shortage in the county’s adult detention center is prompting placement of juvenile detainees in the same building with adults.
County officials say adult prisoners and juvenile detainees will be separated at all times by both sight and sound, and County Manager Julia Brown says the transfer is temporary until staffing in the adult detention center can be bolstered with new hires.
Brown says combining the adult and juvenile staffing in one building in the meantime will immediately lower the overall inmate-to-staff ratio.
According to the county, minor changes have been made to the adult detention center’s east wing to accommodate the move to the satisfaction of state officials.
