Agency Details:

Prison Family Services

Prison Family Services operates the Visitor Hospitality House. We provide a comfortable safe place for family and friends to await visits. Refreshments are available. Activities are planed for children, to increase their self-esteem. Home visits are made and assistance offered.

Description:
The Visitor Hospitality House located on the grounds of Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility is the center of our operation. In addition to providing a place for relaxation and refreshment for the families of inmates, the Hospitality House provides the following services:

 Information about prison policies and regulations regarding visitation

 Clothing exchange: People sometimes arrive for a visit in attire which does not meet the correctional facility dress code, the Hospitality House will lend appropriate clothing.

 Short term child care: children are escorted from the visiting area to the Hospitality House where they are provided with an opportunity to engage in supervised crafts and games, then returned to the visiting area to ensure they have adequate time to visit with their fathers. This is thought to make visits more positive and productive for the children.

 Nutritious snacks are provided for the children around the noon hour, and refreshments are available for children and adults throughout the day.

 Referrals are made to existing community agencies as the need arises.

History:
When Bruce King was Governor of New Mexico, Alice King was very interested in issues dealing with children. She was concerned that inmate children are six times more likely to end up as inmates then their peers. Statistic show that 75 percent of the released inmates will return to prison within six months to two years. She, also, found that when an inmate has three good family visits during their last year of incarceration and remains in contact with family members, the inmate is more likely to be able to remain out of prison after release.

The four Visitor Hospitality Centers in New Mexico were established with the goal of reducing the rate of repeat offenders and reduce the number of inmate children going to prison.

Each VHC is a nonprofit corporation overseen by a Board of Directors elected from the community.
Prison Family Services' Visitor Hospitality House opened its doors to families and friends of inmates on July 1, 1990 in a trailer house on the grounds of Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility.
On February 28, 1992 The VHH moved into a new beautiful facility. This 1600 sq. foot facility, built by the inmates, greatly improves the quality of hospitality services.

The Visitor Hospitality House is open Wednesday through Sunday 8:30AM to 3:30PM.

PFS also provides help in the community to inmate families; Home visits, Referrals, Translations, Help with forms, Donated Items, etc.

Contact people:

Charles Brewster, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Maricruz Alfaro, Children Coordinator, (phone)

Office fax number: (575) 527-4046

Languages Spoken: English

Address:

P. O. Box 639 Las Cruces, NM 88004

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

DIRECTIONS Exit I 10 at the airport - Loves exit (exit 132) Proceed west on the south access (Robert Larson Blvd.) road to Joe R. Silva Blvd. South (left) to the correctional facility on Joe R. Silva Blvd. Proceed past. . . (more)

Last updated on October 30, 2009