{"id":27292,"date":"2024-05-30T21:24:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T03:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/public-gets-inside-look-at-san-juan-county-jail\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:55:53","slug":"public-gets-inside-look-at-san-juan-county-jail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/public-gets-inside-look-at-san-juan-county-jail\/","title":{"rendered":"Public gets inside look at San Juan County jail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A San Juan County Detention Center guard oversee the facility through surveillance videos and through the windows.<\/span>Brad Ryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

If you\u2019ve ever wondered what it would be like to spend time in jail, your questions would have been answered May 10, when the San Juan County Detention Center opened its doors for a public tour.<\/p>\n

The detention center serves as a holding facility for people who have been arrested in a court case or who have been sentenced on a municipal or misdemeanor charge that does not require time in the New Mexico Department of Corrections.<\/p>\n

More than 20 people attended the tour, divided into two groups. San Juan County Detention Center Administrator Daniel Webb led one group through the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may experience detainees moving back and forth in the halls here. They will be escorted by the staff officers,\u201d Webb said, entering the stark concrete corridor beyond the heavy sliding security door.<\/p>\n

\"Daniel
Daniel Webb, San Juan County Adult Detention Center administrator, guided one of the tour groups through the facility. (David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The group was advised to stay to the right, and not to engage or speak with detainees.<\/p>\n

The large kitchen, equipped with stainless steel sinks and counters, lay just past the video rooms, where detainees meet online for hearings in municipal, magistrate and district court.<\/p>\n

The kitchen is oversized, which allows for the preparation of food for the public in case of emergencies. The kitchen can put out more than 10,000 meals a day, Webb said.<\/p>\n

The detainees eat in their pods to avoid chow lines, Webb said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not moving around, that\u2019s good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The massive emergency exit door led to an identical door that opens to the exterior of the facility.<\/p>\n

\"This
This is the kitchen at the San Juan County Detention Center. (David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Brad Ryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIf we ever have a situation where we need response from outside agencies, whether it\u2019s medical EMS, law enforcement, right here (is where they would enter),\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n

Webb said a SWAT team enters through the emergency door and into a staging area on the north end of the building and it is marked by a bright blue light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my brainchild when I started here in 2012,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n

The medical department also was nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore often than not, if we have medical emergency, it\u2019s gonna be right here \u2026 and in a medical emergency, seconds matter,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n

Next was a 12-foot corridor leading to the facility\u2019s master control room, which was staffed by one person who watches over four large monitors, each with 15 screens. The officer can override the system and lock down a unit during a critical incident such as a detainee gaining unauthorized access to an area.<\/p>\n

The facility is made up of three buildings. The A building includes administration, booking and medical, the B building has eight pods, and the C building has six pods or housing areas.<\/p>\n

\"This
This is the laundry room at the San Juan County Detention Center. (David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Brad Ryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The laundry with large industrial washers and dryers is in C hall. This is where issued items such as uniforms, towels and bedding would be laundered.<\/p>\n

Detainees wash their underwear in their pods, where washers, dryers and soap are provided, Webb said.<\/p>\n

The property room was next, followed by a quick look at C-max through the tower room. There were 23 males and 17 females in that area, which can house 38 males and 38 females, according to Webb. Lower numbers allow detainees two hours out of the unit, which has a steel pingpong table and cages with phones.<\/p>\n

One of the logistical matters of running a detention center, according to Webb would be the fact that low, medium and high security detainees must be not be released in the same group.<\/p>\n

\"One
One of the cell pods at the San Juan County Detention Center. (David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Brad Ryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

They can go to the day room and the outdoor recreation area, where there are basketball hoops. The C-max library is a small room with two large bookshelves.<\/p>\n

In the B-1 pod, 75% to 80% of the detainees are male, and it serves as a holding pod for those who have not received a classification, which typically happens within 72 hours, according to Webb.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey get arrested. They get booked \u2026 get their linen or blankets and toiletries and grab a mat,\u201d Webb said, adding they go to the B-1 open-area pod.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are for some folks who can\u2019t play nice with others, so they are segregated,\u201d Webb said, pointing at eight holding cells. \u201cYou\u2019re welcome as you walk by to look through. I\u2019m not responsible for what you might see \u2026 so I just tell everybody, you\u2019re fine to look just don\u2019t stop and gawk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The detention center also has a padded cell for the safekeeping of individuals who need it. They are reassessed every 16 hours.<\/p>\n

Webb was named administrator May 3, 2020. He came to the detention center from the San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s Office, where had worked for 15 years and left as an administrative lieutenant.<\/p>\n

\"This
This is a new training room for both new and seasoned staff at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center. (David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Brad Ryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Webb said the main issue that the facility faces a staffing issue.<\/p>\n

According to Webb, the San Juan County Detention Center, like the corrections industry, historically has endured a 24-27% vacancy rate.<\/p>\n

When COVID19 struck, staffing problems became worse, Webb said. \u201cWe maintained throughout the pandemic and are slowly recovering from its long-term effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are 69 detention officers, with 50 working as shift officers and 19 in support roles.<\/p>\n

The Tri-City Record <\/em>contacted the San Juan County District Attorney\u2019s Office to ask how staffing at the jail has affected how prosecutors and judges do their jobs.<\/p>\n

Chief Deputy District Attorney Dustin O\u2019Brien said he did not believe staff had any affect on sentencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe courts impose the sentence they think is appropriate, and that hasn\u2019t changed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien did say the staffing issue could relate to the difficulty of the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking in a prison or a jail is a difficult job. I think it\u2019s the pay that\u2019s probably largely the issue. The judicial system, just in general, has struggled to keep people.\u201d<\/p>\n

That includes public defenders and prosecutors, where they are down five in his office at this time. \u201cAnd so it\u2019s a struggle to keep people working in the system,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n

San Juan County officials are addressing the pay rate at the jail, according to Webb. \u201cOver the last few years, San Juan County has committed to annual evaluations of pay scales and has just received a new market study. We anticipate that the hourly rate will increase in the next fiscal year to meet the market rates.\u201d<\/p>\n

While staffing can create concerns, it is not affecting the safety of the detention center Webb said. \u201cAdequate staffing of all mandatory sections and posts that are vital to safety and security is not an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twelve-hour shifts helped avoid a situation in which staffing would affect safety and security. They are adequately staffed for safety and security, Webb said.<\/p>\n

There are openings for detention officers, and the training includes a five-week academy, with the first three weeks in the classroom and the final two in on-the-job training.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter initial on boarding, an officer is in training for five weeks before they are working on their own,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n

Applications are available at the San Juan County Detention Center website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article was reposted June 1 to report that David Edward Albright was the sole reporter.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Staffing at Detention Center remains a challenge for administrators<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-27292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80014,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27292\/revisions\/80014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27292"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=27292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}