The number of inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) who are classified as transient is on the rise — a trend that’s concerning to advocates who work with those experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque.
The MDC is run by Bernalillo County and is the largest county jail in the state. It has an average inmate population of 1,600. From January 2021 through July 2024, transient bookings rose from 0.2% to 46.3%, according to data from the Bernalillo County MDC Population Dashboard.
Out of 1,829 inmates who were in the jail in mid-September, 843 were classified as transient, about 46%. The majority of those had been arrested by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) — 594.
“Those numbers certainly should be shocking, but they’re not at all surprising,” Lalita Moskowitz, litigation manager at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said.
APD spokesperson Rebecca Atkins said when an inmate’s address is listed as unknown, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unhoused, but that an address wasn’t provided or couldn’t be located. Moskowitz said, however, that an over-policing of those living on the streets better explains the high numbers.
“The encampment sweeps and general harassment by law enforcement of folks who are just sort of existing out in the world in public spaces — it makes sense that that’s going to result in a much higher percentage of the jail population being those who are transient,” Moskowitz said. “The causality there is pretty clear to see.”
Moskowitz said most transient arrests are for misdemeanors like public intoxication, shoplifting and trespassing as opposed to violent crimes. She said the city’s unhoused are not more likely to be criminals than those who are housed, but are more likely to be victims of violent crime and be arrested.
“A lot end up getting picked up by the police and booked on warrants for failure to appear for court dates that they may or may not know they have,” Moskowitz said. “Those things can really compound.”
Anami Dass, chair of the city’s Human Rights Board, has been researching issues facing those experiencing homelessness this year, and said she recently noticed the increase in the transient population at MDC.
“It’s gone up so drastically in the last three years that it’s actually really concerning,” Dass said. “The reason we’re seeing fewer encampments is because they’re in jail and their ability to participate in society is being systematically taken away from them.”
Dass said if Mayor Tim Keller’s recent estimate that there are 5,000 people living on the streets in Albuquerque is accurate, it means almost 17% of the city’s unhoused population was incarcerated at the MDC on Sept. 18.
Barriers to care
Moskowitz said there are additional challenges for transient inmates who arrive at MDC with addiction and behavioral health issues. While MDC staff provides medication for opioid use disorder as part of its standard care, services are limited. Moskowitz said there’s a misconception that being locked up can be an effective addiction intervention.
“Sure they might get on that medication, which is one piece of a larger puzzle, but it doesn’t address the underlying things that force people into addiction,” she said. “People aren’t getting mental health care within the jail, and certainly it wouldn’t offset the traumatic experience of being incarcerated there to begin with.”
The city’s Health, Housing & Homelessness Department (HHH) has a contract with University of New Mexico Hospital for services at MDC. The hospital took over as the facility’s health care provider about a year ago.
HHH spokesperson Connor Woods said more needs to be done for those with behavioral health and substance abuse issues, including wrap-around services, and that the city’s Gateway facilities are helping in that regard.
“About 100 people have been transported to the first responder receiving area at the Gateway Center, which was designed to take the burden off of jails and hospitals, and is one way we can better connect people to the help they need,” he said.
Woods said a medical sobering center and a medical respite center are expected to open this winter at the site.
Moskowitz added that there are other barriers transient inmates encounter after they’re discharged from MDC, including fewer options for housing assistance and limited employment opportunities.
“We know that putting people behind bars actually makes it much more difficult for them to get out of poverty and homelessness,” Moskowitz said. “It’s much easier to get people resources if they have a home, if they have an address, if there’s a way to check in with them directly.”
Woods said HHH has provided $150,000 in hotel vouchers for those discharged from MDC.
Next article, go beyond interviews with extremists who say things like “people forced into addiction” and interview balanced security and public safety experts.