East Mesa Reentry Facility

The Detention Services Bureau of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office operates the East Mesa Reentry Facility (EMRF), one of seven detention facilities throughout San Diego. It's located in Otay Mesa, and it was originally built as a probation camp in conjunction with another facility in the county—the George F. Bailey Detention Facility. Now, this facility operates all of the reentry services for the San Diego Sheriff's Department.

EMRF is a Type II medium security facility that sits on eight acres in the south San Diego County. It features six housing dormitories, recreation areas, a mess hall, several classrooms, counselor, medical, probation and administrative offices. 

The landscaping and surrounding grounds at the East Mesa Reentry Facility are maintained by the inmate workers who are part of the Landscaping Program. 

The benefits of being assigned to EMRF include the opportunity to work, educational incentives, and the ability to learn job skills due to the lower classification levels of the inmates.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in a East Mesa Reentry Facility facility, click here or use VINE (see below). 

VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday)

Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) is a free and anonymous telephone service that provides victims of crime both information and notification. VINE monitors the custody status of offenders in the East Mesa Reentry Facility and receives updated information every 15 minutes.

The Toll Free Number for California VINE is 1.877.411.5588. Anyone can call the California State VINE line to determine an inmate's custody status. To search for offender information, callers will need one of the following items:

• Offender name or alias
• Secondary search option (if there is more than one offender with the same name), such as:
  • Arrest date
  • Date of birth
  • Middle initial
  • Offender identification number

VINE will let callers know about the offender's current custody status, the location of the inmate, and their offender number.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

In-person and video visitation at the East Mesa Reentry Facility must be scheduled via the Sheriff's Custody Information Office. Guidelines for visiting during the pandemic include mandatory face coverings; symptom and temperature screenings and limiting visitors to one adult and one child per visit. For information on how to schedule an in-person or video visit, click here.

Video Visit Times

In Person Visitation

A1/A2, B1/B2, C1/C2, D1/D2 - 30 Minute Visits

H3 - 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D - 30 Minute Visits

H4 - 4B, 4C, 4D - 30 Minute Visits

H4 - 4A - 30 Minute Visits

Visits are scheduled on a first come, first served basis and are subject to change without notice.

You must check in 30 MINUTES prior to your scheduled visit. NO same day visits are allowed.

Visit reservations must be scheduled 24-hours in advance.

Visitors under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a qualified adult who possesses valid photo identification and is cleared for visits. Qualified adult is defined as:

• A parent
• A court appointed guardian
• Other adult having legal custody

Instructions for sending email to your inmate

Search for the inmate on the Who’s in Jail page from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department using the inmate’s name. To prevent spelling conflicts, you may search using only the first two letters of the first and last name.

When you submit that search, you will get a screen asking you to enter a 5-letter code. Enter the 5 letters and submit it—the letters are not case sensitive.

You should then see the result list with one or more names. Click on the last name of the correct inmate to view the inmate’s page in the Who’s in Jail system. Please note that the last name may not look like a link, but it is.

There is an envelope icon located about halfway down the page that you can click in order to send a message. When you do so, you will be asked to verify your email address. 

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the East Mesa Reentry Facility cannot receive incoming phone calls. However, they have access to phones and can make outgoing calls from the inmate housing area on a daily basis. 

All phone calls from San Diego County Sheriff's Department jails are free. This includes local, long distance, and international calls. An inmate can make unlimited phone calls per day, but each call is limited to 15 minutes.

California law has established the right of an arrested person to make at least three free local telephone calls upon being booked: one call to an attorney, one to a bail bond agent, and one to a relative or other personal contact. Phone calls are recorded and may be monitored at any time.

How to Send Money

To deposit money into an inmate's account—or to send a care package—click here for the San Diego Sheriff's Office online commissary.

In order to send money or place an order, you'll need to provide the Booking Number that identifies the inmate you are placing the order for. If you don't know the Booking Number of the inmate, you will be able to verify the inmate's booking number from the checkout page.

Programs For Inmates

Educational Courses

Educational courses offered at East Mesa include High School Equivalency and Computer Literacy. College-level courses are provided by Southwestern Community College, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College, and Palomar Community College. 

STEM workshops are offered that cover scientific investigation, concepts in biology, DNA and genetics.  

Vocational Opportunities

Inmates who take part in the vocational program learn valuable skills and may receive certifications, preparing them for employment opportunities in the community. 

Vocational opportunities include Culinary Arts, Bakery, Commercial Laundry, Healthcare Service Assistant Training, Industrial Sewing, Landscape Maintenance, Construction Trades, Bicycle Shop and CIVICS Landscape.

Bakery:

The six-month Bakery program is divided in two parts; production and catering. Students also learn about safety, sanitation, terminology, weights and measurements. They also learn how to use industrial size equipment (i.e mixers and ovens). Students who complete this program earn a certificate from the National Restaurant Association. In partnership with Southwestern College, participants will also receive College Credits.

Bicycle Shop:

The Bicycle program gives hands-on experience in the functions of bicycle repair and mechanics via lecture and video.  Donated bicycles are refurbished and distributed back to the community through nonprofit organizations. 

Commercial Laundry:

This program gives students instruction and hands-on experience in various commercial laundry operations.  Students work in a variety of different areas, including receiving and sorting garments for cleaning, operating and controlling industrial washing machines and drying machines, preparing products for storage, and dispatch. 

CIVICS:

The Community Involved Vocational Inmate Crew Services (CIVICS) program is a partnership between the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department in an effort to complete various park projects throughout the county. 

Construction Trade:

This program provides practical, commercial-level experience in the construction field. Students work on such projects as carpentry, masonry-concrete, plumbing, electrical, drywall, painting, welding and other areas of expertise involving tenant improvements, remodeling, and small building structures.

Culinary Arts:

Students in this program work in the kitchen and the coffee cart. They learn about sanitation, safety, terminology, weights and measurements, functions of ingredients, recipes, and formulas. 

At East Mesa, the Culinary Arts program is designed around the National Restaurant Association’s Manage First curriculum. 

Healthcare Service Assistant Training (HSAT):

This program provides students with training on standard medical facility cleaning. Training is provided on custodial maintenance equipment and techniques, in order to maintain the cleanliness of the facility and to meet all regulatory standards. 

Industrial Sewing:

The Industrial Sewing program offers students practical experience in a commercial sewing environment. Students learn pattern-making, cutting, sewing, and other practical methods. And, they make the uniforms for all of the jails, tablecloths, napkins, face coverings, and other special projects such as Honorbands. 

Wellness

Yoga is offered as a stress management tool through different exercises and meditation.Trauma Art workshops are taught by an artist to help participants use drawing techniques of lines, figures, perspective, etc. to process their emotions.

Theater Arts offers inmates a creative outlet via a partnership with The Old Globe and Playwright Projects. 

The Old Globe program examines Shakespearean and other theatrical characters through reading and the performance of monologues. Participants perform at least one published monologue-style piece, develop, write and edit at least one original personal narrative piece. 

Participants in the Playwright Project develop their own script for a play with the mission of improving literacy, communication, and creativity.

Psycho-Social

Psycho-social classes are based on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy curriculum. Classes include Thinking for a Change, a 12-week course addressing self-cognitive change, social skills and problem solving. 

Gender Responsive and Trauma Informed curriculum: Beyond Anger and Violence focuses on anger along with the traumas experienced while addressing cognitive behavioral restructuring and grounding skills for trauma triggers. 

Veterans Moving Forward

The Veterans Moving Forward program is dedicated to helping incarcerated veterans by providing them the necessary programs while in custody. Along with services and community resources to reduce their rate of recidivism.

Job Center

In collaboration with San Diego Workforce Partnership, the goal of the job center at East Mesa Reentry is to prepare inmates for their return to the community. They learn how to use a computer, write resumes, practice interview skills, as well as search and apply for jobs online.

Pictures of East Mesa Reentry Facility

Careers at East Mesa Reentry Facility

If you are interested in a career with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings in the East Mesa Reentry Facility, click here.