New Mexico Penitentiary

Built in 1957, the Penitentiary of New Mexico has until recently served as the state's primary prison. Designed to house 850 inmates, it has long been plagued by poor administrative practices, inadequate security, and the absence of basic amenities. The penitentiary first gained national notoriety when a class-action suit was filed in 1979 in which its inmates alleged that confinement at the penitentiary violated their constitutional rights. In 1980, a large-scale riot at the prison brought the problems identified by the prisoners to the fore. Their suit, which later became the basis for the Duran Consent Decree, identified 14 areas of the penitentiary needing improvement. These areas included legal correspondence, food and medical services, and classification and disciplinary processes. The decree mandated court oversight of all medium-and maximum-security prisons operated by the New Mexico Corrections Department.