Run a Free New Mexico Inmate Search (Check Anyone’s Details)

Performing a free New Mexico inmate search allows citizens to look up convicted or incarcerated individuals in the state.

Anyone looking for data about people in prison can use this information. Here, an inmate refers to someone in a correctional facility — either a state prison or county jail.

The severity of the crime determines whether a prisoner will be kept in a state prison or a county/municipal jail. It’s also important to know which department to contact, as they differ when searching for inmates in prisons and jails. This resource aims to show the public how to look up information on any inmate in the state – no matter the facility they’re in.

Jail Inmates vs Prison Inmates

In the state of New Mexico, detention centers contain two different groups of inmates. Some are in state prisons while others reside in county jails. These diverging systems house separate types of prisoners, governed by different rules.

Inmates who are held in state prisons have often committed crimes of serious nature including second and third degree felonies. In the state of New Mexico there are ten distinct prisons that house such inmates (eight are state operated and two are private).¹

Those inmates who are not held in state prisons are found at county and municipal jails. The state of New Mexico has 33 counties each with its own jail facilities; here individuals are held who are still awaiting trial or are unable to post bail after being accused of misdemeanor offenses or minor felony convictions.

An important nuance here is that unlike its counterpart system handling prison inmates, county jails remain outside the umbrella formed by the Department of Corrections (DOC) jurisdiction governing prisons in New Mexico.² As a result, looking up inmate data doesn’t follow an identical process either — citizens can instead find relevant prisoner information through local Sheriff’s offices rather than DOC databases available for state prison inmates.

On the other hand municipal jails, often called city jails, are under the control of local police departments. People here have usually committed less serious offenses, known as misdemeanors. These inmates serve short sentences, no longer than a year, or are waiting for their trial dates.

In contrast, state prisons come into play after jurisdiction from the municipal level is surpassed. Overseen by the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD), they keep relatively more offenders – around 5,633 prisoners held in eight public and two private facilities to be precise.³

Other prison establishments consist of the federal prisons which hold individuals who have broken nationwide laws governed by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).⁴ With each tier – local jail to state prison then finally federal prison – citizens see an increase in not only how long inmates stay but also in the severity of crimes committed.

To find prisoners incarcerated in New Mexico’s county jails or state prisons, interested parties will need to conduct an inmate search to find more information. Insight on how to do this is provided in the subsequent sections.

How To Look Up Inmates in New Mexico County Jails

In New Mexico, searching for an inmate starts with county websites. Each county provides different tools and therefore, the approach varies by location.

Take Sandoval County as an example; the Detention Center Department provides an inmate roster that shows specific details about all the prisoners in their care, including their name, race, gender, case details, offense committed and sentence status.^{5, 6, 7} The county detention center can also be visited at the following:

Sandoval County Detention Center
1100, Montoya Road,
Bernalillo, New Mexico, 87004

Phone: (505)(867)-5339
Times for visitation appointment calls: Wednesday – Thursday (9 AM to 4 PM)

On the other hand, the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office employs a slightly different approach.⁸ The procedure here involves using their online SMCDC Detainee Lookup tool.⁹ The office can also be contacted at:

San Miguel Sheriff’s Office
1224 Railroad Avenue,
Las Vegas, New Mexico, 87701

Phone: 505.425.7589
Fax: 505.425.8799
Office Hours: Weekdays (8:00 AM – 5 PM)

Additionally, this source serves not only names and data highlighted above but even jail mugshots of inmates. In situations where online sources are not enough or do not hold the answers needed, a straightforward solution is directly contacting the particular county office housing that inmate.

Apart from the above, individuals can also search for arrests and criminal records for the state of New Mexico to get a more detailed insight, including the contact information of every jail county as well as access to their search roster.

To conduct an inmate search at the city level in New Mexico, citizens will need to get in contact with the city police departments. So for example, to look for inmates in the custody of Albuquerque Police, individuals can contact the police department at the following:¹⁰

Albuquerque Police Department
Chiefs Office
400 Roma Northwest
Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102

Phone: 505-768-2200

How To Conduct a New Mexico Inmate Search (See Who Is in State Prison)

According to the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), correctional facilities maintain an offender database for public perusal upon request.¹¹ The law highlights that the database should contain useful information on inmates and be made available to the public.

The tool that the public can utilize for New Mexico inmate lookups is provided by the Corrections Department (NMCD) and is referred to as the Offender Search Tool.¹² This tool proves vital not just for law enforcement agencies but also for the general public.

To start the search through this system, citizens will require either the first or last name of the offender. Another option is searching for inmates through their NMCD Number. However, one thing should be kept in mind though: City or county detention facilities are not covered by the department.

For requesting information on county and municipal inmates, it is recommended to reach out directly to them. The search tool provides the offender status of the individual, the name of the facility and the region they are kept in, their demographics, such as gender, age, height, weight, eye color, skin color, ethnicity, their religion and education.

The search tool also provides information on the crimes committed by the individual and the judgment given by the court.

Interested individuals seeking more information on inmates or other services offered by the NMDC can also use the following links:

• For finding different state prisons and correctional facilities under the NMDC, the department provides a list of facilities along with locations and contact information.
• For information on parole violators, citizens will need to get in contact with their regional parole offices.¹³
• For parole absconders, individuals can utilize the offender search tool.
• For visitation purposes, inquirers will need to go through the visitation guidelines and fill out a visitation form.¹⁴
• Citizens can also directly contact the New Mexico Corrections Department, if they have any related queries or questions related to inmates or other services using the details below:

New Mexico Corrections Department – Central Office
4337 NM 14
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508

PO Box 27116
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502-0116

Phone: 505.827.8645
Fax: 505.827.8655

• For victims the NMDC has introduced the Victim Services Program.¹⁵ This program serves as an important link between victims and offenders in custody or those under probation or parole supervision.

How To Get Information on Someone in Federal Prison

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) manages 122 facilities housing more than 157,000 inmates. BOP records show all prisoners from 1982 till the present date.

Information about pre-1982 inmates could be found through the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) and case records can be accessed through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).^{16, 17}

Tracking an inmate within this system can be done through the BOP’s online inmate locator tool.¹⁸ Interested individuals can search for federal inmates through either of the following:

1. The full name of an offender (first, middle, and last).
2. Using prisoner-specific information like their unique identification number assigned by different bureaus such as the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) or INS (Immigration & Naturalization Service).

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