A Utah company that manages prison facilities has agreed to settle part of a class action lawsuit against a New Mexico detention center.
Management & Training Corporation (MTC) said Thursday it will make payments of up to $5.5 million to class action claimants over a strip-search policy at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center. Santa Fe County and two insurance carriers are also funding the payments, MTC said.
"The only reason strip-searches were carried out at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center was to prevent contraband from entering the facility," MTC spokesman Carl Stuart said in a statement Thursday.
Class action settlements over strip searches have been reached in California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Wisconsin, MTC said.