County jail populations nationally and in New Mexico continue to grow while crime rates continue to fall. University of New Mexico researchers who recently conducted a length of stay study presented findings to county commissioners, county managers and detention administrators at the New Mexico Association of Counties annual meeting held in July. The association funded the research project.
The report “Length of Stay for Arrestees Held on Felony Charges: A Profile of Six New Mexico Detention Facilities” is authored by Paul Guerin, Ph.D. and Linda Freeman, M.A., of the New Mexico Sentencing Commission at the UNM Institute of Social Research.
The researchers find that the overall length of stay varies in each of the six counties – Bernalillo, Dona Ana, San Juan, Curry, Eddy and San Miguel. Arrestees held in these facilities comprised 60 percent of all arrestees held in New Mexico detention centers on June 30, 2003. Nearly 70 percent of those arrested and held were charged with at least one felony.
Jail population is a consequence of two factors, researchers noted, jail admissions and length of stay. Felony arrestees comprise the majority of the jail population and stay longer than those arrested for misdemeanors. A typical felony arrestee spends 167 days in jail before being sentenced. A typical felony arrestee’s overall length of stay both pre and post sentence is 224 days.
Researchers point out that detention center administrators do not control jail admissions or length of stay and so cannot directly affect jail populations. But administrators should work with courts, district attorneys, public defenders, government and law enforcement to improve administrative processes, they said.
A copy of this and other Sentencing Commission reports, printed directories and information are available at http://www.nmsc.state.nm.us . The Web site receives more than 50,000 hits per month from those in New Mexico government and private citizens.