New Mexico Inmate Records

The prison population in New Mexico is approximately 13,450, which includes an estimated 5,154 in state-run correctional facilities and around 6,120 in local jails. These account for the state's incarceration rate of 231 per 100,000 people, lower than the United States average of 355 per 100,000 total population. Male inmates comprise about 90.5% of incarcerated persons in the New Mexico prison system.

Records of all inmates incarcerated within the state's prison system are properly kept by each prison or jail authority and are made available to the public through varying means. Generally, depending on the kind of offense committed in New Mexico, a convicted individual may be sentenced to a local jail, state prison, or a federal correctional facility, where their records are accurately maintained by the supervising government agency.

A typical New Mexico inmate record includes the following information:

• Personal Information - This includes full name, gender, age, weight, height, eye color, hair color, ethnicity, alias (if any), and mugshot.
• Offenses - These include past and current offenses committed by an inmate, and generally detail such offenses and status.
• Arrest Information - This includes the date of the arrest, the place of the arrest, charges, the arrest warrant, booking information, and details of the arresting law enforcement agencies.
• Court Details - These include trial information, case numbers, court dates, orders, and court judgments.
• Incarceration Details - These include an inmate's number, offender status, and the facility/region of incarceration.
• Prole and Release Information - This includes an inmate's eligibility for parole, parole status, and the expected date of release.

Are Inmate Records Public in New Mexico?

Inmate records are public records in New Mexico, per the state's Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). Under this Act, anyone has the right to access public records of government agencies in the state, including inmate records maintained by public agencies. They may either inspect or copy these records.

Although the New Mexico IPRA establishes a fundamental right for members of the public to access inmate records, there are certain exceptions. For example, sealed or expunged inmate records are protected by law and, as such, are exempt from public disclosure. Also, records relating to mental or physical examinations and medical treatment of incarcerated individuals are often redacted from inmate records. In addition, protected personal identifier information such as financial account number, taxpayer identification number, social security number, and driver's license number in an inmate's record is exempt from public disclosure.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in New Mexico?

Several agencies are tasked with correctional facilities administration and inmate management in New Mexico. Such agencies also maintain records of inmates under their jurisdiction, and they include the following:

• The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) - All 8 state-operated correctional facilities in New Mexico are supervised by the state's Corrections Department (NMCD). These facilities generally hold offenders convicted of violating state laws and sentenced to one or more years of incarceration. Such inmates are primarily those convicted of felonies such as public order offenses, violent crimes, property crimes, and drug crimes. The New Mexico Corrections Department is responsible for keeping the records of all inmates incarcerated in state-run prisons.
• Police Departments - Generally, law enforcement agencies in New Mexico, including local police departments, are primary sources for criminal records, which often contain arrest records. While they do not have jurisdiction over state or local correctional facilities, the records of arrests in their possession are a huge part of inmate records maintained by other relevant government agencies in the state.
• County Sheriff's Offices - The 27 county/local jails in New Mexico are operated by county sheriff's offices across the state, and the records of all inmates held in those jails are maintained by the respective sheriff's office. Inmates incarcerated in local jails in the state include offenders convicted of misdemeanor offenses and sentenced to one year or less of imprisonment and individuals awaiting trial.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - Although no federal prison operates in New Mexico currently, individuals convicted of federal crimes in the state are not held in state or local correctional facilities. Rather, such offenders are incarcerated in federal correctional facilities located in other states, which are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). In addition to managing federal prison facilities, the BOP keeps accurate records of all inmates incarcerated in federal prisons.

How To Search an Inmate's Information in New Mexico

To learn about an inmate and obtain their records in New Mexico, it is important to know where the inmate is confined and have certain information that will help facilitate the search.

Find an inmate in New Mexico State Prisons

To find information regarding any inmate in a state-operated prison in New Mexico, use the NMCD Offender Search tool, which has basic records of offenders incarcerated or on probation and/or parole under the state's Corrections Department. Users can conduct their searches using an offender's first and/or last name or the NMCD number, a unique ID number assigned to each inmate in state-run prisons. After entering the search criterion in the appropriate field of the Offender Search tool, select the offender status and click the "Search" button. The search result will include the personal information, status, and offense details of the inmate whose record is sought.

If an online search does not provide detailed information as expected or desired, a person may visit the state-operated correctional facility where the inmate whose record is sought is housed to obtain a piece of more detailed information. Typically, the requester will need to provide the record custodian as much information, including the inmate's name, NMCD number, gender, and other vital details that will help locate the sought record.

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

The online inmate search tools offered by most county sheriff's offices are the first point of contact for anyone considering looking up information regarding inmates held in New Mexico local jails. These tools are typically featured on the websites of the county sheriff's offices managing local jails as inmate rosters, inmate locators, or inmate listings, most of which allow inmate lookup by names, admission dates, gender, and age.

Alternatively, a person may contact the records department of the local jail where the inmate whose record they seek is physically held to obtain a more detailed record of that inmate. They may either obtain such records by submitting their request in person or by mail. Typically, the custodian at the records department will require information such as the name, age, and gender of the inmate whose record is sought to enable them to locate their file.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

The BOP Inmate Locator is the online inmate search resource offered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that enables members of the public to look up information regarding inmates held in federal prisons. While there are no federal prisons in New Mexico, anyone can use the BOP Inmate Locator to find records of inmates convicted of federal crimes in the state but housed in out-of-state federal correctional facilities. This Inmate Locator allows searches by inmate names and BOP register numbers.

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

The NMCD Offender Search tool has information regarding old inmates who were incarcerated in state-operated prisons in New Mexico but have been released. To access such information, enter the former inmate's name and select "Inactive" as the offender status before clicking the search button. However, the information available is not detailed and largely includes old inmates' demographic information and past offenses. Records of old inmates convicted of federal crimes in New Mexico who served their prison terms out-of-state are available through the National Archives.

Some third-party sites like NewMexicopublicrecords.us offer public access to records of all former inmates who have been discharged from the state's prison system, although at a fee. These websites periodically gather public records, including inmate records, and upload them to their databases, where they are permanently maintained.

Alternatively, old inmate records may be accessed by visiting the correctional facilities where such inmates were held during incarceration. In other words, if a former inmate in New Mexico whose record is sought was incarcerated in a state or local prison/jail, it is possible to obtain detailed information regarding the person by going to the facility where they were physically held. However, this service may come at a fee as the custodian may have to charge a requester for the time spent searching for an inmate record.

Furthermore, New Mexico's old inmate records may be accessed by submitting public records requests to the appropriate government agencies. For a former inmate who was incarcerated in a federal prison, anyone may submit a FOIA request to the BOP to obtain detailed information about them. For those incarcerated in state-operated correctional facilities, submit an IPRA request to the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) through the NextRequest Portal.

Can I Find a New Mexico Inmate Record for Free?

New Mexico inmate records are available free of charge through inmate search tools offered by the different prison/jail authorities in the state. However, each inmate search resource managed by each government agency in charge of the correctional facilities in the state can only provide information regarding inmates under the supervision of the individual agency. In other words, an inmate search tool managed by a county sheriff's office will not have records of inmates incarcerated in state-run prisons.

Although their services come at a nominal fee, credible sites like NewMexicopublicrecords.us are one-stop databases for all records of inmates in the state, including those incarcerated in state, local, and federal correctional facilities. They provide centralized access to inmate records, regardless of the facilities the subject to those records are held.

Jails and Prisons in New Mexico

In New Mexico, a correctional facility is either a state-operated prison or a local jail. The state has 8 state-run correctional facilities and about 27 local jails. While the state correctional facilities are managed by the Corrections Department, the local jails are overseen by county sheriff's offices. New Mexico has two privately operated prisons.

State Prisons in New Mexico

The following are the state-operated correctional facilities in New Mexico:

Private Prisons in New Mexico

The two privately run prisons in New Mexico are:

• Otero County Prison Facility
• Lea County Correctional Facility

New Mexico Inmate Statistics

• New Mexico Incarceration Rate - 231 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 419 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 44 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 87 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - 1,522
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 5.8:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 1.8:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision: 680 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 648 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 137 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 0.4%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics