Ground Broken on $170 Million New Mexico Detention Center

The new $170 million Eddy County Detention Center will hold 400 beds, with the ability to expand to an 800-bed capacity. | Photo Credit: Studio Southwest Architects

• Eddy County, N.M., officials broke ground April 21 on a new jail complex south of downtown Carlsbad.
• The $170 million project is expected to take about three years and will replace the current downtown detention center built in 1993.
• Plans call for a 142,000-square-foot facility designed to house 400 beds and expand to 800.
• Studio Southwest Architects is the designer, and Bradbury Stamm Construction will build the project.

EDDY COUNTY, N.M. — In Eddy County, N.M., construction of a new detention center is underway after a groundbreaking ceremony April 21 that marked the start of a $170 million project intended to move the county jail out of downtown Carlsbad.

County officials, designers from Studio Southwest Architects and contractors from Bradbury Stamm Construction gathered at the site for the ceremony.

The new 142,000-square-foot complex is being built across from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office south of Carlsbad and is expected to take three years to complete. The new facility is planned to house 400 beds, with the potential to build an additional 50,000 square feet of housing space to expand to an 800-bed capacity.

According to Studio Southwest Architects, the new facility will feature prefabricated housing modules, dorm-style configurations that support visibility and interaction, and shared day room spaces that encourage daily activity while minimizing isolated areas. The design also includes dedicated staff and operations spaces such as intake, training rooms and administrative offices to support both alternative sentencing unit (ASU) and driving while impaired (DWI) programs.

Earlier this year, Albuquerque-based contractor Bradbury Stamm Construction was selected by the county to build the new detention center.

County Commissioner James “Bo” Bowen said the existing downtown site, which opened in 1993 and was designed for about 70 inmates, has limited options for expansion as development continues in the area. Officials also reported that the current facility is in poor condition and no longer meets modern safety or operational standards.

“A lot has changed since 1993. We’re not the same place that we were in 1993. The jail needs to be out of the center of town,” Bowen said, according to an article from the Artesia Daily Press.

The project represents one of the largest construction projects in the state of New Mexico. Funding will reportedly come from a mix of the county building fund and federal dollars.

County Commissioner Ernie Carlson said the need for a new jail has been discussed during his nearly eight years on the board, adding that the county must respond to continued growth in Carlsbad and Eddy County.

Robert Maze of Studio Southwest said the design process must account for community growth and changes in technology. Cynthia Schulz, chief executive officer of Bradbury Stamm, also described the jail as “a huge investment” for the county.

“This is milestone event that has been years in the making,” said Eddy County Manager Mike Gallagher, according to an article from the Artesia Daily Press. “There is great support for this day.”

Other firms involved with the project during the design and development process include Dewberry, Chavez-Grieves Consulting Engineers, Consensus Planning and Ricca Design Studios.

This article is based on reporting originally published by Artesia Daily Press on May 4, 2026.