What to Expect at Security Screening for Visits to Western New Mexico C.F.

Expect to be screened for both metal and controlled substances. You'll walk through a metal detector, and staff may use drug-detection equipment or dogs trained to identify narcotics. The purpose is simple: keep contraband out and everyone - visitors, staff, and incarcerated people - safe.

You'll need to register when you arrive. Think of registration as the first step in the screening process - you'll check in before moving forward to the visit area.

Before visiting, you'll read and sign the Visitor Statement of Understanding (CD-100201.A). This form spells out what's allowed during your visit, what you're agreeing to follow, and the possibility of being searched as part of facility security.

Western New Mexico C.F. uses ION drug-scan technology to help keep narcotics out. Here's what catches many first-time visitors off guard: these devices are extremely sensitive. They can register minute traces of drug residue picked up through everyday contact - touching a contaminated surface, handling cash, even shaking someone's hand. A positive result doesn't mean you use drugs. It may just reflect residue from normal daily life.

• ✓ Wash your hands well before you leave for the facility and again right before screening if you have the chance.
• ✓ Avoid handling other people’s belongings (cash, wallets, phones, bags) right before your visit.
• ✓ Keep your personal items together and protected so they’re less likely to pick up residue from shared surfaces.
• ✓ Don’t set your hands or belongings down on public, high-touch surfaces right before you enter.

1. Stay calm and follow directions - screening can change based on what staff see or what equipment flags, and cooperating keeps things from escalating.
2. Be ready to show what you signed - staff may refer back to the Visitor Statement of Understanding (CD-100201.A) you’re required to read and sign before any visit.
3. Comply with lawful search requests - search rules can be enforced while you’re on institutional grounds, and refusing a strip search can lead to the visit being canceled or suspended.

If you think a screening result doesn't reflect your behavior, ask staff what happens next. Since ION devices can detect residue from everyday contact, a positive reading isn't automatic proof of drug use. Focus on the process: Is there a retest? What should you do before trying to visit again?