The Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas is New Mexico's primary reception and classification center, which means every newly sentenced state inmate passes through there before being designated to a permanent facility. The communication gap during this period is normal and temporary.
Most facilities begin orientation within the first week of arrival. That orientation process covers the facility rules, programming options, expectations, and the practical details of daily life including how phone access works. Phone privileges, commissary, and visitation typically become available shortly after orientation is completed, which puts the realistic window at one to two weeks from his arrival date before calls start coming through.
The classification process itself runs parallel to orientation and takes longer, often several weeks to a couple of months depending on how quickly the assessment components move. Medical evaluations, mental health screenings, educational assessments, and risk scoring all have to be completed before a permanent facility designation is made. Your friend will likely be at Los Lunas for the duration of that process before transferring to wherever NMCD sends him permanently.
During the classification stretch, mail reaches inmates even when phone access is still being established. Sending a letter through InmateAid now means something arrives for him during that disorienting first period before calls are possible. Having mail in hand during those first weeks matters more than most people on the outside realize.
Once calls open up, InmateAid can help reduce the per-call cost at whatever facility he ends up at permanently.