County Commission to discuss privatizing jail

The Curry County Commission will hold a special meeting Tuesday to hear about jail privatization and other issues from representatives of the New Mexico Association of Counties.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the County Commission room at the courthouse.

In November, County Manager Lance Pyle said he was planning to ask NMAC to give commissioners a presentation on the pros and cons of privatizing the jail in response to the Aug. 24 escape of eight inmates.

All but one of the inmates — 24-year-old convicted child killer Edward Salas — have been captured.

An assessment conducted by the NMAC following the escape highlighted “abysmal” structural issues with the jail, staffing