What Happens If You Break Visiting Rules at Lea County: Suspensions, Violations, and Records

Lea County Correctional Facility sorts visiting violations into two categories: major and minor. Major violations are serious security threats. These include introducing, conspiring to introduce, or attempting to introduce controlled substances, weapons, or explosives into the facility. Minor violations are different. They're policy or legal infractions that disrupt operations but don't reach the level of a major violation. A minor violation is still a problem, but it's not in the same category as drug, weapon, or explosive contraband.

If a visitor uses, possesses, distributes, or attempts to introduce alcohol or controlled substances during a visit, the facility's response is straightforward: the visitor will be reported to local law enforcement and removed from Department property. Beyond removal that day, future visiting privileges can be suspended or terminated. A single incident can affect your ability to visit going forward, not just the current visit.

Screening focuses on contraband detection. Visitors may encounter drug-detection methods including the New Mexico Corrections Department Canine Unit (dogs trained to detect controlled substances) and mechanical drug-detection devices. Search rules apply while you're on institutional grounds. If a strip search is required and you refuse, your visit will be cancelled or suspended. Even if you planned to leave immediately, refusal can end your visit and affect future access.

Visiting problems don't disappear once you leave the parking lot. Documentation about violations goes into the inmate's file, and a copy is attached to the inmate's visiting card. This creates a written record tied to their visitation history. If the inmate transfers to another unit, the holding facility must forward that documentation at the time of transfer. A violation can follow the inmate to the next location.

Suspensions are tracked beyond the facility level. Each facility compiles a quarterly list of all suspended visitors and sends it to the Director of Adult Prisons. Suspensions aren't informal, one-off decisions. They're recorded and reported as part of ongoing oversight.

1. Ask for the written description of what happened. Visiting violations are documented in the inmate’s file, with a copy attached to the inmate’s visiting card. That documentation is the starting point for understanding what the facility says occurred.
2. Contact the facility’s inmate advocate. If you believe the violation was issued in error, the inmate advocate can be a practical next step for questions about the situation and next actions.
3. Follow the facility process for challenging a suspension. If your visiting privileges were suspended or terminated, use the facility’s established procedure for appealing that decision, and be ready to reference the documentation connected to the visit.