New Mexico State Prisons
7 facilities- NMCD - Central New Mexico Correctional Facility (CNMCF)
- NMCD - Northeast New Mexico Detention Facility
- NMCD - Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM)
- NMCD - Roswell Correctional Center (RCC)
- NMCD - Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility (SNMCF)
New Mexico County Jails
29 facilities- Bernalillo County NM Metropolitan Detention Center
- Catron County NM Detention Center
- Chaves County NM Detention Center
- Curry County NM Detention Center
- DeBaca County Detention Center
New Mexico Department of Corrections
New Mexico CD inmate search allows searches by NMCD number or name. New Mexico has a high incarceration rate relative to its population and has faced significant challenges with prison violence and conditions.
The official inmate search is available at www.cd.nm.gov/inmate-search. FCI La Tuna at the TX/NM border and FCI Albuquerque hold New Mexico federal inmates.
Visitation in New Mexico Facilities
New Mexico CD visitor approval requires a visitor application. Processing takes 2 - 4 weeks. Background checks for adult visitors. New Mexico has faced challenges with staffing that have occasionally affected visiting schedules.
Always confirm visiting schedules directly with the facility before traveling. Find specific visitation rules on each facility's page in our New Mexico prison directory.
Sending Mail to New Mexico Inmates
New Mexico CD mail requires the NMCD number. Standard 4x6 photos accepted. New Mexico has been transitioning some facilities to electronic mail delivery. Verify current policy for your facility.
InmateAid delivers letters and photos, postcards, and magazines to New Mexico facilities. Want to receive letters without sharing your home address? Our Letters From Inmates service scans and delivers inmate mail to your account.
Phone Calls from New Mexico Facilities
New Mexico is not currently among the states that offer free inmate phone calls. Securus Technologies holds the NMCD contract.
Following the FCC's Martha Wright-Reed Order (effective April 6, 2026), per-minute rates for inmate calls are now federally capped at state and federal facilities. Find current carrier and rate information on each facility's page in our New Mexico prison directory.
Sending Money to New Mexico Inmates
Commissary funds let inmates purchase approved items from the facility store. Primary money transfer options for New Mexico:
- JPay (primary for NMCD)
- Money orders mailed to facility
- Lobby kiosks
See our Send Money guide or navigate to the specific facility page for current provider information.
Reentry Resources in New Mexico
Planning for release is one of the most important things a family can do. These organizations provide support in New Mexico:
- New Mexico CD Reentry - Official reentry programs
- New Mexico Legal Aid - Free civil legal help statewide
- ACLU New Mexico - Civil rights advocacy including prison conditions
- Enlace Comunitario - Albuquerque-based services including reentry
Frequently Asked Questions About New Mexico Prisons
What happened at the Penitentiary of New Mexico in 1980?
The 1980 New Mexico State Penitentiary riot is the deadliest prison riot in American history. Over 36 hours beginning on February 2, 1980, inmates took control of the facility - the immediate trigger was a botched cell check. What followed was catastrophic: 33 inmates were killed by other inmates, hundreds were injured, and the facility was largely destroyed. Inmates with blowtorches used them on informants and vulnerable prisoners. The violence was exceptional even by the standards of prison uprisings. The causes - overcrowding at 2.5 times design capacity, brutal conditions, and a toxic informant culture - are the same systemic failures that appear in most major prison disturbances. The facility was rebuilt and still operates as New Mexico's primary maximum-security prison today.
What is the NMCD number?
Every New Mexico state inmate is assigned a unique NMCD number when they enter state custody. It must appear on all mail sent to NMCD facilities. Find it through the NMCD inmate search at cd.nm.gov. County jail detainees have their own booking numbers that are separate from NMCD numbers - a county detainee doesn't have a state number until they enter state custody after sentencing. If your person was recently sentenced and transferred, allow 24 - 48 hours for the system to update. Once assigned, the NMCD number is permanent for the sentence regardless of facility transfers.
Does New Mexico have free prison phone calls?
No - New Mexico has not eliminated phone call fees. Securus Technologies holds the NMCD contract. The FCC's April 2026 rate caps apply to interstate calls from New Mexico state facilities, reducing costs from historical highs, but calls are not free. New Mexico has a relatively small state prison system - about 6,600 state inmates - and phone reform has not been a priority in recent legislative sessions. Set up a Securus prepaid account rather than accepting collect calls.
How do I visit Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility?
Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility is in Las Cruces, the second-largest city in New Mexico, in the far south near the Texas border - about 45 miles north of El Paso and 225 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25. The El Paso International Airport is the closest major airport, about an hour away. All visitors must be pre-approved through NMCD's visitor application process. Contact SNMCF at 575-523-3600 for application procedures and current visiting schedules. Las Cruces offers significantly more services and accommodation options than most New Mexico prison towns, which is a practical advantage for families making a long trip.
How do I find someone in a New Mexico county jail?
New Mexico has 33 counties, each operating its own detention facility. The NMCD offender search covers state prison inmates only. Contact the county detention center directly for pretrial detainees. Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque is by far the largest county detention facility in the state - Albuquerque holds about a third of New Mexico's total population. Most county detention centers maintain online inmate rosters. For federal arrests in New Mexico, use the BOP Inmate Locator at bop.gov.
What programming is available at New Mexico state prisons?
NMCD offers GED and adult basic education, vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and cognitive behavioral programming. New Mexico has historically had one of the higher recidivism rates in the country - around 50% of released inmates return within three years - which has driven investment in reentry programming in recent years. The state has expanded transition planning and community resource connections prior to release. Programming availability varies by facility and security level - ask your inmate's case manager what's available at their specific facility and whether participation could affect earned time credits.