Bernalillo County

The Detention Center

Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC)

• Operated byBernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, a county department under the County Manager's Division — not the Sheriff's Office
• Who runs itChief of Corrections, Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC Chief) — the county does not name the current holder. Reports to: County Manager (Chief of Corrections appointed by the County Manager, with concurrence of the Board of County Commissioners)
• Jail address100 Deputy Dean Miera Drive SW, Albuquerque, NM 87151; phone (505) 839-8700
• Opened2003; jointly managed by the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County until 2006, and fully managed by Bernalillo County from 2006 to the present
• SizeApproximately 600,000 square feet on 155 acres, including housing, medical, dental and mental health clinics, libraries, arraignment space and a cadet academy
• Maximum capacity1,950, based on McClendon standards
• Average population1,729 inmates in 2024, plus an average of 49 in the Community Custody Program
• HousingFive units of either 128 or 256 cells each; classification within 72 hours of arrival
• Annual budgetApproximately $99 million for fiscal year 2026; training costs approximately $252,000
• Staff435 county employees, including approximately 300 correctional officers and on average 13 cadets (figures current as of Sept. 17, 2025)
• AccreditationAmerican Correctional Association accreditation every three years; the county says the Nov. 2017 audit found 100-percent compliance with all 367 mandatory and non-mandatory ACA standards. Also reaccredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care for its Standards for Health Services in Jails
• Video visit rate$0.25 per minute, maximum 30 minutes per remote video visit, through the GTL/ViaPath account system
• Inmate moneyMoney orders up to $100 by mail; online deposits through Access Corrections, which charges its own deposit/payment service fees; MDC is not currently accepting deposits at the facility
• Health careA four-year professional services agreement with UNM Hospital governs health care at MDC; the county announced in July 2026 that it is planning the transition to a future model
• Litigation contextThe county publishes a McClendon Settlement Information page; the Detention Facility Advisory Board ordinance is framed as aiming to resolve the issues behind McClendon v. City of Albuquerque
• Bond postingNo bail or bond posting guidance was found on the MDC or county site; MDC publishes warnings about bail bond and inmate release scams instead
• What was triedhttps://www.bernco.gov/metropolitan-detention-center/ ; /about-us/ ; /our-location/ ; /frequently-asked-questions/ ; /video-visits/ ; /inmate-money/ ; /overview/ ; /contact-us/ ; /news/ ; /prison-rape-elimination-act-overview/resources-reports-and-publications/ ; /detention-facility-management-oversight-board-reports/

Source: Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center — Frequently Asked Questions · checked 2026-08-24

• ✓The jail is named
• ✓Who is in custody
• ✓Beds and daily population
• ✓What it costs taxpayers
• ✓Deaths in custody
• ✓PREA audits
• ✓Independent inspection
• ✗Who else it holds, and for how much — not published
• ✗How to post bond — not published
• ✓Phone, video and commissary rates

This rates disclosure, not conduct — what Bernalillo County publishes about a jail its taxpayers own, checked 2026-08-24. Nothing here says the jail is run well or badly. Every mark moves the moment the county posts the document.

The Building

You paid for it. Here is what the record says it cost.

• Year builtOpened 2003
• Original costNot found
• Paid for byNot found
• BedsMaximum capacity 1,950 under McClendon standards; five housing units of 128 or 256 cells each

The Sheriff

Sheriff John D. Allen

• Runs the jailNo — this is New Mexico's one real exception. The Metropolitan Detention Center is a separate county department under the County Manager's Division, not the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office site links to the MDC Custody List but does not operate the jail
• How the office is filledElected county sheriff; the county lists sheriff among its elected officials alongside five commissioners, assessor, clerk, probate judge and treasurer
• OversightA separate Sheriff's Office Advisory and Review Board exists, distinct from the Detention Facility Advisory Board that covers MDC

Source: Bernalillo County — Elected Officials listing · checked 2026-08-24

The Judges

New Mexico judges are initially appointed by the Governor from a judicial nominating commission list, then stand in a partisan election at the next general election to keep the seat, and thereafter face non-partisan retention elections. They are state judicial officers, not county officials. Bernalillo County is the Second Judicial District and is the only New Mexico county with a Metropolitan Court, which handles misdemeanors, traffic and first appearances and is the bench most often setting conditions of release; the state court site says nineteen Metropolitan Court judges preside. Bernalillo County has no Magistrate Court — the Metropolitan Court takes that role.

Source: the state judiciary · checked 2026-08-24

The County Commissioners

They pay for the jail. The sheriff runs it.

• What they controlThe detention budget, the building itself, and the agreements that let other agencies rent its beds.
• What they don'tDay-to-day operations. The sheriff is separately elected and answers to voters, not to the board.
• The boardBoard of County Commissioners →
• Where the jail money is decidedAgendas and minutes →