Curry County jail earns 3-year accreditation

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — The Curry County jail has earned accreditation from a special council of the New Mexico Association of Counties. Detention Administrator Mark Gallegos tells The Eastern New Mexico News he has been working toward the accreditation since taking over in 2016. To earn the accreditation, staff updated policies and procedures to meet the 208 mandatory standards developed by the council. They cover areas such as security and mental health. The detention center passed the inspection of six auditors and will need to do so again in three years to maintain the accreditation. It must also keep documentation to verify that best practices are being followed. The newspaper reports the designation is significant for a detention center that has been scrutinized for more than a decade after multiple inmates escaped its confines. ___ Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com