Need a job?
Grants prison to hold training academy for recruits

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Three hots and a cot are what most incarcerated prisoners can expect to get from the corrections system.

Along with a cell they can call home, safety by trained professionals can also be expected. Across the U.S. corrections facilities on all levels are having trouble maintaining trained personnel to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff, but the Cibola County facilities are taking a proactive approach before understaffing can become a problem.

That proactive approach is in the form of an eight-week corrections officer training academy for new corrections officers to be hired at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility on Lobo Canyon Road to replace those who have retired or resigned.

James Lopez, deputy warden for the WNMCF facility said, "We are currently budgeted for a full staff of 155 corrections officers to handle the inmate population, but we did have 20 retirees in 2005 alone and some others that have left the system for other reasons and they too have to be replaced."

WNMCF can handle up to 428 inmates and averages about 410 inmates on the grounds at any given time. Lopez continued, "Thanks to voluntary overtime by some of our COs we do have enough personnel to cover all the shifts as mandated by the state, but of course we are looking for fresh employees so we can eliminate that overtime status. We are budgeted for a total of 155 officers but are currently short by 30."

The actual number of COs required per shift changes, as some shifts require less personnel because of lesser demands. Daytime shifts generally require more officers because of more activity within the prison, such as meals, visitors, exercise yard, showers, and other prisoner movement in the facility. At night after meals are served and there are no visitors allowed or other traffic on the grounds, the number of personnel required is reduced.

The state of New Mexico mandates the number of COs needed on the premise to handle any prison population and many factors determine how many are required.

"When a prisoner enters the facility we have to assign him to a certain level," Lopez said. "Level II which are prisoners that are within five years of release have a CO ratio of 31 prisoners to two COs. Level III prisoners have a ratio of 11 prisoners to one CO and the Level IV prisoner who requires much more supervision has a ratio of eight prisoners to one CO."

When a prisoner enters the facility there is a 14-point determination process they go through to determine the custody level assigned to them. The hard core Administrative Segregation Unit houses prisoners who require the top level of CO ratio of 16 prisoners to 3 CO's. "These prisoners," Lopez said, "are at the same level as Level VI prisoners at a penitentiary and they are placed in the short-term unit for closer observation and control."

To meet the growing demands of the prison system, WNMCF will host an eight-week academy for CO training to be held in Grants beginning on Monday, March 26. Graduation is May 18.

An informational meeting will beWednesday, Feb. 28 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Silver Lining Services/Curves located at 1447 E. Roosevelt in advance of the actual training sessions. Pre-screening will be conducted on Thursday and Friday, March 1 and 2 prior to acceptance to the academy and those sessions will be in the gym on the New Mexico State University campus.

Attendees will be paid $9.50 per hour for training and when they complete the course and are on the job will receive $11.50 per hour. In addition, the state will also pay 80 percent of the benefits package with the employee paying just 20 percent of that cost.

To qualify for the program those interested must be at least 18 years of age or older, have a valid New Mexico drivers license, a high school diploma or GED equivalent and have no felony convictions.

Information: Walter Sarracino, training coordinator for WNMCF, (505) 876-8365.