A new forensics facility for the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute may at long last see construction in Las Vegas.
Approved earlier this year by members of the New Mexico State Legislature, the $30 million capital outlay for the project was signed into law last month by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The largest mental health facility in the state, the Behavioral Health Institute was opened in 1889 and sits on a 300-acre site populated with more than fifty structures at 3695 Hot Springs Boulevard.
According to a report submitted late last year by the New Mexico Department of Finance & Administration, the current forensics building is plagued with asbestos contamination, is not compliant with American with Disabilities Act requirements, and is “old and beyond useful life.”
Originally called the Territorial Insane Asylum, the Behavioral Health Institute treats sometimes violent offenders who have been arrested for a felony-level crime to determine whether they are competent to stand trial.
Often, such patients are held for a period of 90 days before a competency determination is made.
The approved $30 million will go specifically for the planning, design, and construction of the forensic unit.
The Behavioral Health Institute capital outlay is one of the top ten largest projects funded this year by lawmakers on a list that includes $107 million for improvements to Rio Bravo Boulevard in Bernalillo County and $40 million for work on a section of Interstate 25 in Santa Fe County.
By Garry Boulard
