Bernalillo County Inmate Search
A Bernalillo County inmate search is the process of obtaining public information about people who have been arrested and incarcerated within Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Following a crime and arrest, information about the arrestee, their arrest, incarceration, and prosecution is generated and included in Bernalillo County public records. Interested persons can access this information by conducting the aformentioned search.
An inmate search may be necessary to find current detainees and recently released persons. An inmate lookup is also essential for accessing information about county inmates, such as their bond amount, charges, and booking number. The latter (booking number) is vital for inquirers who wish to send mail to the detainee.
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and therefore are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:
- The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
Bernalillo County Crime and Incarceration Statistics
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Crime Data Explorer, 2,453 adult arrests were made by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office in 2021. From this figure, 1,826 arrestees were male, and 627 were female.
The crime data explorer also categorizes the County Sheriff's Office 2021 arrest data. Some of the most notable of these categories include arrest for crimes against property, arrest for crimes against society, and arrest for crimes against persons. Of these categories, arrests for crimes against society offenses were recorded as the most common, with 1,132 arrests. Meanwhile, arrests for crimes against property and crimes against persons were 421 and 886, respectively. Compared to the previous year (2020), 2,028 arrest adult arrests were made. This figure signifies an 18.9% increase in adult arrests made by the county sheriff's office in 2021. Note these statistics only reflects arrest made by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and not other law enforcement agencies in the county.
In 2022, a report analyzing the jail population of Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) was published on the University of New Mexico website. According to this report, 14,489 individuals were booked into the MDC in 2022. By comparison, in 2021, the facility recorded 15,736 bookings. This indicates the facility experienced a 7.9% decrease in the number of bookings in 2022.
Bernalillo County Prison System
The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) is the primary detention facility in Bernalillo County. The MDC is overseen by the County Manager's Office, unlike other U.S. states where their respective county sheriff's office typically oversees most county jails.
The MDC is the only correctional facility in Bernalillo County. The facility provides inmate programs and a comprehensive healthcare system to reduce recidivism and adequately maintain inmates' health. The MDC was opened in 2003 and covers approximately 600,000 square feet on 155 acres. The facility has five housing units. Each unit is either made up of 128 or 256 cells. The facility has a maximum capacity of 1,950 inmates and an average daily population of 1,200 inmates.
The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) houses more male than female inmates. 74.8% of inmates are male, and 25.2% are female, according to 2017 reports. Furthermore, regarding demographics, 45.3% of inmates are Hispanic, 33.2% white, 9.6% Native American, 7.1% African American, 1% Mexican, 0.4% Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 3% are of unknown races.
How to Find an Inmate in Bernalillo County
To find an inmate in Bernalillo County, review the inmate inmate-in-custody list provided by the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC). This list is accessible through the MDC inmate custody & release list webpage. On the page, a list of inmates in current custody and recently released inmates is provided and publicly accessible
How Does a Bernalillo County Inmate Search Work?
Per the New Mexico Inspection Of Public Records Act (IPRA), interested persons can access public information about inmates. Hence, when an inquirer conducts a Bernalillo County Inmate Search, they can access public information about the inmate they looked up. These include:
- The inmate's full name
- Person ID
- Booking number
- Booking date
- Year of birth
- Active hold status
- Housing Unit
- Admission detail
- Admission date and time
- Mugshot
- Arrest details
- Case number
- Arresting agency name
- Arrest date and time
- Arrest location
- Warrant details
- Warrant type
- description
- Bond details
- Bond type
- Amount
- Paid date
- Release type and date
Where to Find a Bernalillo County Inmate Locator
The Bernalillo County inmate locator is accessible through the official website of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), specifically the inmate custody & release list webpage. As mentioned earlier, the webpage provides links to view a list of inmates currently in custody and a list of recently released inmates in Bernalillo County. As hinted, these lists can only be used to find current and former inmates of the MDC.
To search the MDC custody list, inquirers can supply information about the inmate they wish to look up in each search parameter field provided on the website. These include the inmate's arrest date, ID, first name, or last name. Alternatively, inquirers can click the "search" button to view a complete list of MDC inmates without supplying any search parameters. On the other hand, the MDC release list can be searched by providing a former inmate's person ID, last name, first/middle name, or release date.
Although New Mexico has eight (8) state prisons and two (2) privately operated state prisons, none of these facilities are located in Bernalillo County. Nevertheless, the New Mexico Corrections Department oversees these facilities and maintains an inmate locator tool that can be used to find inmates in these facilities. This inmate locator is accessible through the official website of the NMCD under the name "offender search".
Similarly, the Federal Bureau of Prisons also maintains an inmate locator tool interested persons can use to find information about federal inmates. However, there are no federal prisons in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
Besides government agencies, inmate locators are also provided by third-party websites. Generally, these websites retrieve public information about inmates from government agencies and make these pieces of information accessible to the general public through their third-party websites for a fee. This fee varies by provider. An inmate's first name, last name, and state of incineration are the main search parameters used by most third-party websites to conduct an inmate search.
How to Send Money to a Bernalillo County Inmate
Interested persons can send money to a Bernalillo County Inmate in three ways: online, by phone, or through Walk-in Retailers.
Online deposits can be made through Access Corrections. Access Correction is a third-party website the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) works with to enable interested persons to deposit money into an inmate account online. To deposit into an inmate's account using Access Corrections, interested persons can visit the Access Corrections website or download the Access Corrections app. The access corrections app is available for both IOS devices (through the App Store) and Android devices (through the Google Play Store). Note that to deposit money to an inmate account using Access Corrections, the depositor must be able to provide either the inmate's full name or ID. Furthermore, an online deposit can be made using a credit or debit card and is available 24/7.
To deposit by phone, interested persons must also go through Access Corrections. Access Corrections provides a toll-free Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Interested persons can call at (866) 345-1884 to deposit money over the phone. Deposits can be made over the phone using a credit or debit card. Similar to other ways of sending money to a Bernalillo County Inmate, depositors may be required to supply the name or ID of the inmate they wish to send money to.
Before interested persons can send money to an inmate via a walk-in retailer, they must register online. After successfully registering, users would be issued a barcode they can use to make cash deposits to a county inmate account when they shop at any of the following stores:
- Dollar general
- Family Dollar
- CVS
- 7-Eleven
Note that deposits are subject to a service fee. These fees vary depending on the deposit amount and the method of deposit. The service fee for deposits between $0.01 to $19.99 are $1.50 (online), $4.95 (phone), and $2.50 (walk-in retailer). Meanwhile, the service fee for deposits between $20.00 to $99.99 are $3.50 (online), $7.95 (phone), and $2.50 (walk-in retailer). Lastly, service fees for deposits between $100.00 to $199.99 are $5.50 (online), $9.95 (phone), and $2.50 (walk-in retailer). Interested persons can visit the MDC Order A Care Package/Deposit Money Into Inmate Accounts webpage for more information.
How to Visit a Bernalillo County Inmate
There are two types of inmate visits that can be conducted in Bernalillo County: a professional and a video visit. Professional visits are conducted in person. However, this type of visit can only be conducted by specific eligible persons. These eligible persons include law enforcement personnel, private attorneys, and district attorneys or public defenders.
On the other hand, video visits can be conducted by anyone, such as friends and family members of an inmate. Due to COVID restrictions, non-professional in-person visits have been suspended in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC). Hence, a video visit is the only way inmates' friends and family members can conduct a Bernalillo County inmate visit.
To conduct a remote video visit, prospective visitors must have an internet-connected device, such as a smartphone, computer, or smart tablet, a stable internet connection, and a webcam. Prospective visitors who have already created an account for visiting at the facility and those who have previously registered an account for tablet service do not need to register another. After registering an account, prospective visitors must email the MDC at mdcvisit@bernco.gov. The email must include the following:
- The email address used in creating the account
- The first and last name used in creating the account
- The picture of the front and back of the account register's valid driver's license or identification card. Note that the name on either form of identification must be the same as the name on the visiting account, and the photograph on the form of identification provided must not be blurry.
- A current photograph of the person who registered the visiting account
- The names and ages of any minor that may be conducting supervised visitation using the account.
After emailing the details above, prospective visitor must allow time for their account to be reviewed and verified. Provided a visitor account has been verified, they can schedule an inmate visit in advance through www.gettingout.com. Note that the duration for video visits is 30 minutes per visit, and inmates are allowed two (2) visits per week. Note that non-professional visitors are charged $0.25 per minute for each video visit. Furthermore, all non-professional remote visits are monitored, recorded, and subject to the facility rules. Interested persons can visit the MDC video visits webpage for further information about video visitations at MDC.
How to Send Jail Mail in Bernalillo County
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) inmates can receive mailed items from members of the general public. To send jail mail to an MDC inmate, the mailed item must be addressed in the following format:
Inmate name and Inmate number
100 Deputy Dean Miera Dr. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87151
Note that all mailed items must comply with the facility's mailing rules, which include:
- All mailed publications must be mailed directly from their publisher
- Lewd materials are prohibited.
- Photographs that are not photocopied on a plain sheet of paper are prohibited
- Third-class mail (also known as spam mail) is prohibited
- Instructions that detail the manufacture of weapons, drugs, explosives, or other unlawful substances are prohibited.
Interested persons can visit the MDC SEND MAIL TO AN INMATE for a complete and comprehensive list of prohibited items.
Bernalillo County Jails and Prisons
Bernalillo County is home to a single detention facility, the "Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC)". The facility's address and contact information are provided below:
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC)
100 Deputy Dean Miera Drive SW,
Albuquerque, NM 87151
Phone: (505) 839-8700
Email: mdc@bernco.gov
