New Mexico Conservative News ATN Special Report: Otero County Detention Center Suicide Attempt

Since mid 2024 AlamogordoTownNews.org, NewMexicoConservativeNews.com and KALHRadio.org has been involved in an ongoing investigation into staffing levels and concerns raised, by both staff, former staff, and detainees, at the Otero County Detention Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico, specifically around imate care and safety and the number of suicides that occur within the facility.

After receiving multiple reports of concerns with scheduling, staffing levels to ensure the protection of medical staff, and questions concerning deaths that have occurred at the detention center to include a number of suicides and attempted suicides by inmates, we submitted public records requests in early April concerning staffing levels at the Detention Center. As reported in our story concerning concerns published on 5-22-24 the response provided us with the following information; ”that eight officers are assigned to each shift (days and nights) with one supervising officer to seven floor officers. The medical staff on the day shift consists of two registered/certified nurses and/or paramedics as well as the Health Service Administrator and Director of Nursing who are also registered nurses (four medical employees total). The medical staff on the night shift consists of two nurses/paramedics.

The facility also has a Certified Mental Health Coordinator and Counselor on site during the day. These Mental Health providers are on-call during non-working hours and can embolize at a seconds notice and are available to the detainees of OCDC 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if any crisis or situation may arise that requires their assistance or attention.”

On the late hours of June 9th leading into June 10th. 2025 another suicide has occured at the facility. Staff provided an email in rssponse to the information request stating that staff on duty was 6 officers and two nurses on duty during the period of the reported suicide attempt.

Reports released via a public records request show that Naomi I Laycock attempted suicide while in custody by hanging in her cell. A wellness check occured at 5 minutes until midnight.

At approximately 29 minutes after midnight on June 10th, Corrections Officer Garza knocked on the door and received no answer. The officer called for assistance and observed the victim had hung herself with a towel. The officer requested assistance which was quickly provided. The Otero County Sheriff's Department was contacted and their investigative notes are featured below...

Supplemental notes following the initial investigation is as follows...

The fact is this suicide attempt was thwarted. This is an improvement over the previous years statistics in Otero County, New Mxico. The fact is that suicides in jails and prisons simply should not occur. There are many clear warning signs for potential suicide. Jails and prisons have a duty to keep an eye out for these warning signs and to take appropriate action in order to prevent an inmate suicide. In fact, there are federal and state guidelines on suicide prevention in jails and prisons. In addition, both the American Corrections Association (ACA) and National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) establish prison industry standards for suicide prevention.

The NCCHC and ACA both set forth minimal standards for suicide prevention. These suicides are preventable. Yet, New Mexico jails and prisons deliberately choose not to follow many these simple requirements and rank poorly in comparison to other states in prison care. 

The basic standards include adequate staffing levels and adequately trained staff. These are both generally lacking throughout New Mexico prisons and jails, Otero County has improved significantly since we began this series over a year ago but there is still room for improvement. 

New Mexico prisons and jails are chronically understaffed. This is true in New Mexico Corrections Department run facilities, privately-run facilities and county facilities. The problem is very well documented, yet prison and jail administrators throughout the state have chosen not to enforce staffing level requirements. The failure to adequately staff correctional facilities undoubtedly adds to the already significant risks of inmate suicide.

It is essential that staff be trained in suicide prevention. This means that staff must be trained to identify inmates at risk of suicide. It means further that there should be guidelines on how to identify suicidal inmates and the appropriate preventive measures that must be immediately implemented to protect those inmates. Correctional facilities in New Mexico clearly do not value this training.

A human face to in-jail suicides can be felt in a passionate story we published last year titled:  Otero County Detention Center: A Mothers Plight for Answers - the Jena Matise Story. 

Ms. Matise has since her sons death become an advocate for change in the jails having worked closely with County Commissioners and Otero County Corrections Department Officials to implement strategies to reduce potential suicides and drugs within the local system. She chose to turn a tragedy into positive action. 

We will continue to monitor the performance and progress of the Otero County Detention Center and will periodically check in and keep the public informed. Stay tuned...

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