Job Center

New connections. Renewed hope.

A new job center is now open at the East Mesa Reentry Facility in Otay Mesa. A grant from the U.S. Department of Labor pays for the program. The job center is a collaboration between the Sheriff's Department, San Diego Workforce Partnership and County Probation, as well as community program Second Chance. The goal is to prepare inmates for their return back to the community. Six months before their release, participants learn how to use a computer, email, write resumes, practice interview skills, as well as find and apply for jobs online. Inmates also receive other services such as a free suit for job interviews, a bus pass, California ID, housing and links to substance abuse programs or services. East Mesa Reentry Facility offers work experiences to the inmates through various vocational programs such as Culinary Arts, Bakery Program, Print Shop, Construction Trades, Painting Program, Bicycle Repair, Laundry Services, Commissary, Landscaping Program and CIVICS (Community Involved Vocational Inmate Crew Service). Sheriff Bill Gore says, "We recognize something happened in the past that got inmates to our jails, but everyone deserves a second chance. Our goal at the job center is to encourage inmates so they can be successful and we don't find them back in our custody again."

The Second Chance Job Center is a team-based case management program. Partnering with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and San Diego County Probation and the San Diego Workforce Partnership, Second Chance staff delivers employment services at the East Mesa Reentry Facility.  The Job Center expands upon services already offered by local government, community corrections and workforce development agencies by uniting resources to break the cycle of recidivism, build stronger communities and promote public safety.

The Job Center offers internet access to select websites for job search, and provide suits for inmates to wear as they practice interviewing. In addition, the Job Center builds on vocational programs already available at the facility, like barista training at an onsite coffee cart, working in a bakery or in the print shop.

BENEFITS of the job center

Committed to boosting the number of job placements for offenders reentering the community and reducing recidivism, the Second Chance team provides employment-related support to those in custody at the men’s reentry facility. Participants attend life skills workshops, employment readiness workshops, and research and learn about community resources that might be needed upon release, such as housing and transportation.