Sierra County Detention Facility – Truth Or Consequences, NM

Sierra County Detention Facility is located in Sierra County, NM and is the main correctional facility for the county. Know someone in jail at Sierra County Detention Facility? This site tells you all about everything you might need to know about Sierra County Detention Facility,like the following: How to do a jail inmate search. Find mugshots. The jail’s address and phone number. How to post bail. Intake procedures. Court records. And much more…

The prospect of getting arrested and going to jail is a daunting and scary idea, not only for whoever gets arrested, but also that person’s friends and family. The goal of this guide is to give info you need to make getting locked up a lot easier. If you have a specific question, feel free to ask it in the comment section below, and please leave any feedback or comments that could be a benefit to others is much appreciated.

Do you know someone that has gone to jail and want to contact them?

Has someone that has been arrested and you want to locate them?

To look up who’s in jail at Sierra County Detention Facility you need to visit their web site and perform an inmate lookup.

The Sierra County Detention Facility Inmate Search is an online list of people who have been arrested and are in jail, including current status, bail amount, and times you can visit. You can get the same information about anyone booked or discharged in the past 24-hour period. Inmates are listed alphabetically by their last name. You can locate their arrest information fast if you have the arrestee’s name, date of birth, or inmate ID Number.

If your friend or family member might be at another county jail you will want to check the other New Mexico county jails in our New Mexico County Jail Guide: New Mexico County Jails

A mugshot, also called a jail processing photo, is a photo that the police take when you get booked into jail. A mugshot is actually one frontal photo and a side photo. Your full name and jail booking number will be on the pictures, and they will be kept on file at the jail.

Mugshots of Sierra County Detention Facility inmates can be seen online, or you can go in person to the Sierra County Detention Facility. When viewing online you need to enter their first and last name, and a booking date, if you know it.

Trying to figure out how to have your mugshot taken off of the Sierra County Detention Facility website? This is difficult, as your mugshot is a public record. You need to file a Petition to Expunge in court. Basically, this means that all of your arrest records will be sealed, and will not be available to the public. Unfortunately, this happens very rarely.

Read our in-depth tutorial about getting your mugshot taken down, the various mugshot websites, and the mugshot removal websites: How To Remove Your Mugshot from the Internet

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If you’re locked up, your only thought is about getting out. After you’ve been booked, your bail will be decided either by bail schedule or magistrate. If no bail is set this might mean that you will either be released, or you are kept in jail until your court date.

If you are released from jail you will have to promise to show up for court, and in the meantime you won’t be allowed to leave town.

In most cases, an inmate at Sierra County Detention Facility can earn early release in exchange for good behavior if they respect the rules and area a good inmate while locked up.

If you follow the rules, you might be given work release detail. You will be required to go back to jail each day when you’re finished at your job, or you may get to move into a halfway house instead of living at the jail.

Your bail is money that you have to pay to the court system to be released from jail until your court date. The amount you will have to pay is determined by how serious your charges are. You or someone you know will have to put up 10% of the amount that was determined in order for you to bail out of jail. If you don’t show up for your court appearance, the person that paid your bail will lose that bail money.

To find out someone’s bail amount you will have to call the jail or the county courthouse. If you’ve got the person’s info, such as name, address and date of birth, they will tell you what their bail is set at. Also, you can see the bail amount on the Sierra County Detention Facility site.

Posting bail to get out of jail is never fun, but fortunately, it is really easy. First of all, figure out if their bail is a “Cash Bond Only” situation. If this is the case, you will not be able to use the services of a bail bondsman. Bail can only be paid by cash – they won’t take checks. Once you have paid the bond, the inmate will be released to your care. If they don’t violate the terms of their bail, the bail money you posted will be returned to you.

If their bail has been set too high, or you can’t afford it, you should hire a bail bondsman. Bondsmen will generally charge a fee of 10-15% of total bail, and in most cases with a minimum of $100. The money you pay to the bail bondsman will not be returned to you and bondsmen usually only accept cash. If the bail is extremely high, the bondsman might request to use your assets, such as home, property or cars, as collateral.

You can find a local bail bondsman click here: How to find a bail bondsman

Have you ever had to use a Bail Bondsman because you or someone you know got arrested? If you have, please leave a comment below and tell about your experience and let us know how it worked out for you.

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• Get Time Off For Good Behavior
• Work Release Programs
• Get Out For Time Served
• Pre-Trial Release Programs
• House Arrest
• Own Recognizance

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The intake process includes each of the following steps:

• They’ll put you in a holding cell. If there are a lot of arrests, it will take a while to get processed.
• The first step is that you must answer a number of questions, like what is your full legal name, your address, date of birth and an emergency contact person.
• You will also be asked about your medical and psychological history.
• You will be issued an inmate ID.
• Your fingerprints will be taken.
• You will have your mugshot taken.
• All personal property will be taken away from you and stored until you are discharged.
• You will then be allowed to make a phone call in order to talk to a member of your family, friend, or bail bondsman.
• If you are expected to be released quickly, you might be allowed to keep wearing street clothes, if not you will have to change into a jumpsuit.

Have you been arrested and gone through jail intake? If you have, you should tell us what happened. How long did you have to wait? Were you treated fairly? Can you share any secrets that will help others get through jail intake?

Speak Your Mind

Once you are able to post bail, you will be discharged from jail. The discharge process takes from 10 minutes to all day. So, the quicker you post bail, the quicker you will get discharged from jail. Also, it might depend on whether you’ve got a bond amount or if a judge needs to figure out how much your bail will be. For a minor charge, you will be booked and then released on your recognizance without having to pay bail. When you get to the end of your sentence and know the date of your release, expect to be discharged at any time that day – but usually in the morning.

If there is a, or if you must start your sentence, you really should follow the rules and turn yourself in. If it is for a warrant, go down to the jail, in the reception area, and let them know that you think there may be an outstanding warrant for your arrest. They will check to see if you have a warrant, and if you do, they will take you into custody. If it is for a jail sentence, go to the jail at the time and date that the sentence order states. Ensure that you aren’t late. Only bring allowed items when you go to jail, for example a driver’s license or even your ID, any prescription medication you might take, and a sentencing order from court.

To have visitors, you must list each visitor’s full name to the jail before anyone can visit them. This information will go in a log of visitors for the requesting inmate. Each visitor must provide identification. Visitors that gets to visitation or any visitors that are not approved to visit will be turned away.
Visitation procedures at Sierra County Detention Facility frequently change, so you should check the official Sierra County Detention Facility jail site before you try to visit an inmate.

All phone calls from jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account. These phone calls are much more expensive than regular phone calls. Inmates are able to make phone calls, with restrictions on when and how often you can use the phone, but inmates must keep in mind that you are just one of many people who want to talk to their loved ones. If you are disciplined for an infraction, phone calls could be reduced or forbidden.

Phone Number: 575.894.2537

Any mail that you send to an inmate must be mailed using US Postal Service. You shouldn’t use any other type of mail delivery. You have to clearly write the prisoner’s name, inmate number, and the jail address on the letter. Do not mail anything in a package, padded envelope, plastic bag, or an envelope with any metal in it. Any mail sent to inmates is opened and read and examined by the staff, and will get sent back if they decide it is inappropriate.

Use this address when sending a letter to someone incarcerated at Sierra County Detention Facility:

Sierra County Detention Facility
855 Van Patten
Truth Or Consequences, NM 87901

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Sierra County Detention Facility
855 Van Patten
Truth Or Consequences, NM 87901

The Sierra County Detention Facility inmate mail policy changes, so it would be best to review the official website when you send a letter.

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If you get arrested, you have certain rights, and an important one is the right to request an attorney. You are only allowed to make so many phone calls in jail, so make sure you have a friend or family member locate an attorney for you. You may be asking yourself ‘but do I really need an attorney’ You can represent yourself if you really want to, but, an attorney will advise you about your rights, help protect your best interests and show you the way through the legal system in your county. The faster you get a lawyer involved with your situation, the better off you’ll be.

For more information about the benefits of hiring a lawyer, go to: How to Find an Attorney in Sierra County

If you’ve been arrested and don’t have the money to hire a lawyer, a Public Defender will be assigned to you. Also, the Public Defender is staffed by independent investigators, forensics experts and social case workers. You should be reassured that Public Defenders are licensed lawyers that are members of the New Mexico State Bar and are licensed to practice law as an agent of the court.

Have you ever had to use a court appointed attorney or Public Defender? How did they do?

All court records are public records. Court records contain a case file containing a docket sheet and all of the documents that have been filed in your case. You are able to access court records via the online service, or by going to the Clerk of Court.

The Sierra County Clerk of Court is an official part of the court that maintains court records. They also administer the oath when court is in session, and read the verdict when delivered by the jury. All court records related to your court case are kept at the Sierra County Clerk of Court.

Court fees are the charges from your case, which include filing fees, motion fees and various court charges. If you can’t afford to pay these fees and have a court appointed attorney, you may get out of having to pay them.

The Sierra County court magistrate is the person who presides on your case. Magistrates do a number of different things, like setting your bail amount, issuing warrants for arrest, and acting as the presiding judge over preliminary court appearances and detention hearings.

A pre-sentencing report is completed to include your background information and information about the arrestee’s life, which the magistrate will take into consideration when decide your sentence. Information, details, and character witnesses will be solicited from the defendant, his or her family, and in some circumstances the victim in the crime. Remember you are able to request to see a copy of the report prior to sentencing, and go over it and correct any mistakes in it.

If you get convicted of a crime, you will be given a sentence for your crime. The presiding judge in your case will weigh several options when determining your sentence, which include community service, house arrest, and probation, to even incarceration in jail or prison. Depending on sentencing guidelines and the severity of your crime, you might get taken into custody immediately, or you might be given a date that you are required to go to jail to serve your term.

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Want to find out if somebody you know is incarcerated in jail, or has ever been in jail?

To do so, you will have to access the jail website and do an inmate search, and do a search using:

• The inmate’s name.
• Date of birth.
• Approximate booking date.
• and their jail inmate ID.

If you’re not sure if your friend or family member is in jail, you should call the jail to find out.

If you have an outstanding warrant, you can check arrest warrants on the Sierra County court website or you can call the jail. You have to have their first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and inquire at the information desk. You should be clear that if there is an arrest warrant out for you, you will be taken into custody immediately.

If you know a person’s name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the Sierra County jail, either by phone, in person, or you can check online. Arrest records are a matter of public record and the information is available to anyone.

A Civil Process is when someone has been served with papers, such as , subpoenas, and arrest warrants. You can access civil process orders by getting in touch with the Sierra County Sheriff’s office, on their website or by phone.

All convicted sex offenders must be listed and registered on both a national and state sex offender database. The people listed on these databases have been convicted of a sex crime. You are able to view sex offenders on the website, but keep in mind that you won’t see the street address, but rather the neighborhood block that they live on.

Court Records are public, and are accessible by anyone. These records include a court case file that includes a docket and all of the filings and documents filed in your case. You are able to access the court records on the website, or at Clerk of Court office in the jurisdiction where the case was filed.

Each and every state maintains records of people’s criminal past. These online databases are all connected and you can track criminal backgrounds from another state. You can go to county courthouse and check in person or you can check online. It is helpful to know the county the crime was committed in, and in the event that the crime was in a different state, you may have to pay for a more complete search.

A search of someone’s criminal history you will be able to get a report detailing any arrests, charges, or convictions that may be on a person’s record for any crimes they may have committed, which could include:

• Driving Under the Influence (DUI).
• Drug Possession.
• Kidnapping.
• Sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault.
• Violent crimes like assault or murder.
• Breaking and entering, theft, larceny.

But, when you do a criminal records check, in most cases won’t learn if that person had:

• Tickets for speeding.
• Lost their driver’s license or license revoked or suspended.
• Accidents.
• Moving violations.
• Parking Tickets.

To get driving records, you will have to do a search for their driving record.

Have you ever had to look for criminal records online? Was it an easy process? Did you do your search online or did you have to call the courthouse? Was the information correct? There are lots of reasons that folks search for criminal records and backgrounds, and your feedback may help other people that are in the same situation.

Click here to tell about all about it

Most Wanted

On a Federal level, the FBI has a list of the Ten Most Wanted Criminals. In Sierra County, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department has a list of most wanted criminals, too.

FBI Ten Most Wanted List


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Life In Jail / What Its Like

Daily Life

While the prospect of getting locked up in the Sierra County jail is something you wish you could avoid, you will soon become accustomed to the daily routine there. Inmates get a wake-up alarm at six in the morning, and next they’ll do roll call. Then you will get breakfast. When you finish eating breakfast you will work in the program that has been assigned to you. This could be working in the kitchen, laundry, or some sort of manufacturing job. While this may seem tedious, it may help you when you leave jail, as you are gaining experience in a certain field of work. Other inmates go to school, while some take part in mandated treatment programs. After lunch, there will be another roll call, then back to work. Your evening will be spent either in your cell or a common room. During this time dinner is served and you will be expected to take a shower. After another roll call, it’s lights out. Even though you will be confined to your cell, there may be enough light to read or write letters. Then again, most inmates welcome lights out, and try to get as much sleep as they can.

Most people are frightened at the idea of jail because they don’t know what to expect. If you have spent any time in Sierra County Detention Facility, your experiences would be welcomed, if it can help another person to deal with it.

Dress Code

When incarcerated, all inmates are expected to wear the Sierra County Detention Facility uniform. This is normally a jumpsuit or scrubs. Of note to anyone visiting an inmate – you must be properly dressed. Any clothing considered inappropriate will not be permitted.

How To Send Money to an Inmate

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

The rules for sending money to someone in jail could change, so be sure to check the official Sierra County Detention Facility site when you send money to an inmate there.


Commissary

The commissary is the jail store. You can purchase a number of things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Bear in mind that you will probably want to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

Inmate Medications

If you are on any type of prescription medication, you will be allowed to continue taking it while in jail. When you are first processed, you will be asked what medication you take. You will then be referred to the jail nurse or doctor who will be in charge of monitoring your health and prescribing your medication.

Meals

You will get three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. As expected, they are very basic, but healthy. A typical breakfast might be cereal, toast, coffee and fruit. Lunch might be spaghetti, salad, bread and milk. Dinner could be chicken casserole, rice, vegetables, dessert and milk. Contrary to popular belief, prison food has greatly improved over the years, and you might find that it’s not much different from what you would eat at home.

Pods / The Yard

The jail is designed in a ‘pod’ layout, with self-contained housing arranged around an outdoor yard. Each pod has a central control station and a common room, and the inmates take turns in using the yard. The jail is designed this way to keep certain inmates together, and others away from the general population.

Gangs

As with life in general, gangs are a part of prison life. Obviously it is best to avoid becoming a part of this environment as it will only lead to trouble. When you first enter prison, you might find yourself being ‘primed’ to join a gang, or worse, you might get their attention in a negative way. The best thing to do is keep your head down and don’t get involved.


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News and Media

News

Photos / Pictures

Videos


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Jobs

Types of Jobs at Sierra County Detention Facility

The Deputy Sheriff is the second in command at the Sierra County Detention Facility, overseeing the day to day operations and administration of the jail. An inmate is unlikely to have much interaction with the Deputy Sheriff, unless they have committed an infraction. Detention Officers are responsible for the custody and care of the inmates. They maintain order in the jail, and handle security. A Detention Officer is assigned to a certain pod, and therefore is responsible for the same inmates each day. They get to know the inmates on a certain level and are well equipped to handle any problems that may occur.

Apply for a Job at Sierra County Detention Facility

Requirements:

• You have to be over the age of 21.
• You have to possess a High School Diploma or GED
• You have to be a US Citizen.
• You have to pass a Criminal, Credit and Driving History background check.
• You have to pass a drug test.
• You have to have a good level of fitness.
• You have to be in good health.
• You have to have a valid Driver’s License
• An applicant for Deputy Sheriff must possess a Law Enforcement Certification.


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Family Resources

There are resources for families of both the perpetrator of the crime and the victim. The social and emotional impact of crime is far reaching, affecting many. Families can receive professional counseling, court related assistance, social services assistance and help in navigating the criminal justice system.

If you are a family member, which resources did you find to be particularly helpful? Please let us know, as this will be helpful to other families in the same situation.

Click here to leave a comment


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Victim Resources

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.

Victim’s Rights

The Victim Rights Act grants victims the following rights:

• Victims have the right to protection from the accused.
• Victims have the right to notification.
• Victims have the right to attend proceedings.
• Victims have the right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.
• Victims have the right to consult with the prosecuting attorney.
• Victims have the right to restitution.
• Victims have the right to a speedy trial.
• Victims have the right to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

The definition of victim includes:

• Spouses and children of all victims.
• Parents and guardians of minor victims.
• Parents, guardians and siblings of mentally or physically incapacitated victims or victims of homicide.
• Foster parents or other caregivers, under certain circumstances.

There are a number of services and programs designed to help victims and their families. You can find out about these services by contacting the courthouse, or local law enforcement agency.

Victim Notification

The Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS) is a system that provides victims with information pertaining to their case and/or any defendants in the case. You will receive a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow you to access VNS via the internet or by phone. Here, you will find information about future court hearings, historical court events, and detailed information about the defendant. This will include criminal charges filed, the outcome of charges, sentence imposed, custody location, projected release date and any other release information. The VNS website is updated daily. You will also receive any ongoing information by mail or email.

Have you, a family member or friend ever used the Victim Notification System? If so, was it effective? Did you get the information in a timely manner? Was the system difficult to use? We would like to hear from you, so please post any comments here.

Click here to share your story

Sex Offender Information and Search

All people registered as sex offenders are registered on either a national or state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted of a sex or kidnapping crime. You can access this information online, but bear in mind that you will not get the exact address, rather the block that they live on.

Domestic Violence

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there are services to help you. Your county will have a Domestic Violence Services office. They provide free and confidential services, such as emergency shelter information, legal advocacy, support groups and domestic violence education. They will work to help you create a safe and violence-free life, and heal from the trauma of abuse.

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.


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Reviews

Reviews of this Jail

Have you ever spent any time at Sierra County Detention Facility? Do you know anybody that is a prisoner there? Have you ever visited a prisoner there?

If yes, then we would like you to leave a comment below about it. Tell us about your jail experience so other people can learn what to expect.

What to put in your review:

• Jail conditions.
• Jail facility and layout
• Guards and jail staff
• Jail food and commissary
• Having Visitors
• The other inmates.
• Inmate safety
• Gangs
• Programs and activities


Speak Your Mind

Tell Your Story

Everybody who’s been arrested and thrown in jail has some stories to tell about the whole experience. Why’d you end up in jail? How did the guards treat you? What was it like in jail? How did you get along with the other inmates? Did going to jail affect your life? How?

Tell the World All About It

Send a Message to Your Cell Mate

Did you meet some cool folks in jail? Do you need to talk to somebody you met in jail? Post a message to them below.

Send a message to someone at Sierra County Detention Facility


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