Doña Ana County Juvenile Detention: Housing, Education, and Support Services Families Should Know
If your child is being held at Doña Ana County's juvenile detention facility, understanding the basics can help you feel more grounded—how big the facility is, how housing works, and what supports are available. Here's what families should know about housing, supervision, schooling, and counseling services.
The Doña Ana County Detention Center's juvenile facility holds up to 50 juveniles. This is a dedicated juvenile facility with a defined number of beds - not an open-ended holding area. Knowing the size gives you a clearer picture of where your child is.
The juvenile facility was built in 2000 and opened in 2001. It's a purpose-built space for youth, not an older building retrofitted for juveniles. That means more modern layouts and operations designed specifically for this population.
Housing is organized into five separate units, each designed for ten juveniles. Your child lives in a smaller group setting within the larger facility, with daily routines centered around their unit.
Four units follow the same setup: a dayroom plus eight single-person cells and one two-person cell. The fifth unit is different - ten single-person cells, a dayroom, and a small outdoor recreation area. This unit can serve as maximum-security or special-management housing when needed.
Direct supervision: Detention officers are stationed inside the housing unit dayrooms, where they directly supervise and observe juveniles and their daily activities.
School continues during detention. The Las Cruces Public School District provides two full-time teachers, so youth can keep up with coursework and earn credits toward graduation while they're there.
Beyond school, the facility offers programming focused on personal growth. Religious programming and life-skills classes help youth build routines and practice decision-making while their case moves through court.
Counseling is also available. Various agencies provide court-ordered counseling, and some offer individual sessions when a youth's needs are identified. If you want to know what your child is receiving, ask staff directly about services in place for their specific situation.
Need to raise a concern or find the right person to talk to? The Doña Ana County Detention Center is led by Director Bryan Baker and has a staff of 197 - including administrative, security, support, medical, and contract staff. Depending on your question, you may be routed to different areas of the operation.
- Go through the county’s RecordBook portal - Doña Ana County accepts Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) requests online through RecordBook at donaana.gov/ipra.
- Submit your request in the portal - The county treats portal submissions as written public-records requests, so include enough detail for staff to identify what you’re asking for.
- Keep a copy of what you submitted - Save your confirmation or a screenshot for your records in case you need to follow up later.
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