Breaking Down Barriers Series
In February 2020, Ryan Lowery created a series on drug and alcohol addiction in the New Mexico counties of San Miguel and Mora. Ryan and colleges from the Las Vegas Optic explored the roots of addiction, what officials were doing to help those struggling, and what other communities were doing to address addiction.
The series was awarded first place for Best Series by the New Mexico Press Association for 2020.
The following are series stories reported and written by Ryan Lowery.
Breaking Down Barriers:
Scope of drug addiction ‘hard to quantify’
| Feb. 21, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
The San Miguel County Detention Center had 1,812 total criminal bookings in 2019, ranging from petty misdemeanors to first-degree murder. Of those booked into SMCDC in 2019, about 8 percent were charged with at least one drug-related crime, and many individuals faced multiple drug charges. These charges ranged from possession… READ MORE
Breaking Down Barriers:
Federal agents aid in struggle to disrupt drug trafficking in Vegas
| Feb. 28, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
It was designed to look like a routine transaction. The buyer paid $20,000 in cash for 10 ounces of crack cocaine and 10 ounces of powder cocaine. But it wasn’t routine. In this case, the buyer was paying with cash provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration…. READ MORE
Breaking Down Barriers:
‘An ongoing battle’: Corrections staff work to prevent drug trade in county jail
| May 14, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
Ashley N. Fernandez approached the nondescript door on the back of the courthouse early in the morning. She moved quickly, and everything went as planned. She hurried back to a car parked on Morrison Street and drove away, headed toward National Avenue. The transport van arrived hours later. Carrying inmates from the San Miguel County Detention Center, it pulled up to the door… READ MORE
Breaking Down Barriers:
Program decriminalizes addiction by emphasizing recovery, not jail
| May 21, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
They are struggling, often at the lowest point in their lives. Then they’re arrested. Charged with a crime, they face fines, fees and maybe even a lengthy sentence behind bars. They come from varied backgrounds and walks of life. The events that led them into the courtroom are nuanced. Nevertheless, they face a rigid system predicated on the notion that, no matter the reasons behind their actions, those who’ve committed a crime must be punished. One rural Colorado town is rethinking this approach though… READ MORE
