The adult detention facility differs from a traditional linear jail in that there are no bars separating officers and inmates. Instead, they are separated by glass partitions, which allow officers to maintain continuous observation of all inmates and to ensure that inmates are constantly aware that they are under observation.

Housing
Built in 1995, the facility was originally designed with 562 beds. In 2000, an additional housing unit was added and some remodeling was done to increase the number of beds to 846 and the total living space to 166,543 square feet. Inmates are housed in seven secure housing units. Most inmates share a cell with at least one other inmate.

The 50-bed facility was built in 2000 and opened in 2001. Detention officers are stationed inside the housing unit dayrooms, directly supervising and observing the juveniles and their daily activities. Juveniles are housed in five different units. Each unit is designed to house ten juveniles. Four of the housing units consist of a dayroom, eight single-person cells and one two-person cell. The remaining unit consists of ten single-person cells, a dayroom and a small outside recreation area. It can be utilized as a maximum-security and/or special-management unit when needed.

Juvenile Programs
The Las Cruces Public School District provides two full-time teachers for educational classes, allowing the juveniles to maintain their education while incarcerated and earn needed credits toward graduation. In addition, religious programming and life-skills classes are provided. Each detainee is allowed two half-hour family visits per week. Various counseling agencies are available for court-ordered counseling, and some provide individual counseling for detainees when such needs are identified. Recreational activities, commissary and library also are provided.