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Solitary Confinement in NM

March 20, 2025

3.21.25 – Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered Socorro County to pay $2 million to Jessie Chavez, a man who accused jail guards and officials of essentially torturing him in solitary confinement during two stints of incarceration in 2022 and 2023.  Steven Robert Allen, an attorney and director of the New Mexico Prison and Jail Project, represented Chavez. In their one-on-one conversation, Executive Producer Jeff Proctor asks Allen about the case and how solitary confinement is used around the state. 

Correspondent: Jeff Proctor 

Guest: Steven Robert Allen, Director, New Mexico Prison and Jail Project 

For More Information: 

Man wins settlement for abuse while being detained in the Socorro County Detention Center – KOAT