Visiting in New Mexico (NMCD)

Getting on the approved visitor list

No one may visit until they are on the incarcerated person’s approved visitor list. The incarcerated person initiates the list by adding prospective visitors, and the approval is processed at the facility where the person is held. Being on the approved list is also required before sending money to a person’s account.

Because the list is managed at the facility level, the application process is handled with each prison rather than through a single statewide office. The facility’s visitation contact can confirm whether a visitor has been approved and what, if anything, is still needed.

Scheduling a visit

New Mexico does not use a single statewide online scheduler. Each facility schedules its own visits through its own contact — a phone number, an email address, or both — listed on the New Mexico Corrections Department’s Visitation page.

Visiting days and hours

Visiting days and hours are set by each facility and can differ by custody level and housing unit. Some facilities visit on weekends; others use a different schedule. Because the published times change and vary from one prison to the next, the current schedule is the one confirmed directly with the facility through its visitation contact.

Contact and non-contact visits

Whether a visit is contact or non-contact varies by facility and by the incarcerated person’s custody level. Some facilities default to non-contact (barrier) visits except for immediate family who have provided proof of kinship. Higher-custody and restrictive housing assignments are more likely to be limited to non-contact visits.

The visit type is determined by the facility based on the person’s classification and housing. The facility’s visitation contact can confirm which type applies for a given visit.

Video visits

Approved visitors can use video visits through the tablet system used in New Mexico prisons, which runs on Securus / Smart Communications technology. A visitor must be approved by the New Mexico Corrections Department before scheduling a video visit. Availability and scheduling are arranged through the facility.

ID and what visitors may bring

Visitors are expected to bring a government-issued photo ID and to wear modest clothing, and to limit what they carry into the visiting area to a minimum. The specific dress code, the accepted forms of identification, and the list of items allowed inside are set by each facility and are not published in a single statewide list. The facility’s visitation contact is the source for those specifics.

Privately operated facilities

The Otero County Prison Facility in Chaparral is operated by a private contractor, Management & Training Corporation (MTC), and may set its own visiting arrangements that differ from the state-operated facilities. Visiting days, hours, and procedures for Otero are confirmed directly with that facility.

Reception and where someone enters the system

Where a person first enters the New Mexico prison system depends on their gender:

• Men: all men enter through the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas, which processes new commitments before transfer.
• Women: all women enter through the Reception and Diagnostic Center for women at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants. New Mexico holds women at two sites — the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility and the Springer Correctional Center.

Families are not notified of routine transfers. The NMCD Offender Search shows a person’s current location. See Transfers & Finding Someone.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Visiting Basics.