Public Safety Voices | Warden Joe Chavez
Nearly everyone who comes in has either medical or mental health issues.
“The number of detainees we have with mental health issues absorbs a lot of resources. Nearly everyone (about 90%) who comes in has either a medical or mental health issue, which can be masked by dependency on medication or non-prescription drugs.
“We have 175-185 detainees at any given time. Of that number, 3-5 have a hardcore mental illness. It takes a lot of time and resources to meet the challenge of trying to determine how to help them while they’re here. You don’t want them to be restricted from the other detainees; it’s not good for them – isolation does more mental harm than good. But you also have to protect them from harming others and from others taking advantage of them.
“A lot of people don’t understand the difference between jail and prison. By the time a prison gets the detainee, we’ve baselined them to be ready for that incarceration. We get them raw. It may be their first time; they may be depressed or suicidal or have mild to severe mental health and medical issues.
“Our biggest expense is our medical and mental health staff. We have a psychiatric nurse and a team of counselors on staff. And, every year we try to add more hours to our mental health team, but it’s hard to budget for it. It’s a revolving door here. We don’t have the resources for long-term treatment.”
I speak to every detainee once a week; I go into every cell.
“I’ve been very lucky to be fully staffed. My main competitors are the prison across the street and the other detainment center, and now Facebook is coming in – and they all pay better. So we’re working on a stronger retainment package; I’m trying to get higher wages for my team.
“A seasoned officer for me is 8-9 years. You have to interact with the staff, show them you’re with them, help them to diffuse situations. Ours is not such an aggressive facility. That’s why the staff stays.
“I attribute this fact to our interaction with the detainees. They have access to us and an opportunity to voice their concerns. I and Deputy Warden Jesus Heredia go into every cell once a week to speak with the detainees, sometimes together or on different days. This also helps the staff because they don’t have to wait for an answer to issues they might be having. I or the deputy warden can make a decision immediately. It also helps us to see and address problems right away.
“That’s not to say that nothing ever happens here. There was an incident where a detainee didn’t want to lockdown. He had some inmates locked in a cell and was threatening to harm them; one was really scared. The guy had some grievances. I walked in there and was able to speak to him, and after a few minutes of talking to him, I was able to resolve it peacefully. When you can resolve something peacefully, with no physical contact, that’s a rewarding way to go home.”
I enjoy what I do: I’m in a position to help people.
“Prior to becoming the warden of this facility, I served our country as a U.S. Marine from 1986-1990. After that I went to work for the New Mexico Department of Corrections where I served as a correctional officer (CO) for 19 years, eight of those here. In August 2010 I became warden. I feel so fortunate to be in a position to help the detainees and the staff.
“Being proactive and considerate of each individual’s issues is important. I live in this community, so sometimes I go to Walmart or a restaurant and a former detainee will walk up and thank me for acknowledging them and listening to them when they were in our facility. That’s a good feeling. And when you see them leave and they don’t come back – it’s a rewarding thing.”
Being a warden is a difficult position with a lot of responsibilities.
“You’re dealing with a client who doesn’t want to be here, and who has some very unique needs. And you don’t just deal with detainees, you have to deal with staff and make sure they’re not being malicious, the families that come in, attorneys, judges, police chiefs and sheriffs, the commission … there are so many entities.
“Corrections is the hub of law enforcement. You’re pulled from all sides, and you have to be diplomatic and stern at the same time.
“People don’t understand the whole process of a jail. It’s a 24-hour, 365-day community all its own populated by people who don’t want to be here and can’t leave. You have to clothe them, feed them, make sure the HVAC works, do their laundry … it’s a lot.”
I’d like for the public to understand the high level of stress and anxiety detention officers face every day.
“We work 12-hour shifts. Each officer is assigned (direct-supervision) to a pod of 40-45 inmates. They’re with them all day long. The stress of dealing with all those different personalities, maintaining control, making sure you’re safe, your fellow staff are safe, and the detainees are safe is a lot. Plus, detainees can have a drug withdrawal at any time, and someone is always on some type of medical or suicide watch.
“The public doesn’t understand the high level of stress and anxiety correctional officers work under. If there is a bad situation – suicide, assault of one inmate on another, assault on a fellow officer, an overdose – the officers experience PTSD from that. They don’t just sit around and babysit (as perceived by the public and other law enforcement agencies). These are people who feel that they’ve lost everything – that they’ve failed their loved ones. And it’s up to us to care for them.”
–Warden Joe Chavez, Valencia County Detention Center, New Mexico
