Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center ‘riot’ sparks concern

By Web Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — What was described as a “disturbance” at the county Juvenile Detention Center (also known as the Youth Services Center), was resolved as of 8:50 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 25, a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson stated in a news release.

“[C]ontrol and operational oversight have been reinstated to the dedicated staff at the facility, and we are pleased to report that the situation has been thoroughly addressed with no outstanding concerns,” BCSO Deputy Tyler Lapierre said.

An Albuquerque Fire Rescue news release reported they had first been called to “stand by for a large number of youths in the detention center that started a ‘riot’ on the interior of the building. Reports of youths throwing objects inside and barricading entrances to the building.” According to the release, three people had been taken to the hospital for “evaluation.”

The Juvenile Detention Center is located at 5100 2nd Street NW.

The New Mexico Law Offices of Public Defenders statement: “We’ve got an overcrowded and understaffed juvenile jail. They are trying their best to hire and train, but there are still not enough staff to handle the kids in custody, let alone the ones the governor’s hasty and ill-considered orders are unnecessarily keeping in. The order to jail any child caught with a gun makes it impossible to treat kids as individuals, and we are supposed to be keeping them safe as much as we are the community.” -Albuquerque District Defender Dennica Torres

Governor’s Office statement: “To be clear: the order directs juvenile probation officers to ask the presiding judge to detain juveniles accused of a violent offense. It’s important to note that when juvenile detention facilities are at capacity, they do not accept additional individuals. It is therefore inaccurate and incorrect to state that there is an overcrowding problem that has been caused by the Governor’s Executive Order.

A large percentage of gun-related crimes in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are being committed by minors, and while we understand the need to balance rehabilitation with accountability, the fact is that a gun is no less dangerous in the hands of a juvenile.” -Maddy Hayden, Director of Communications.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.