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Source: County News Service
November 1, 2016 (Lakeside) - A job training program at the East Mesa Detention and Re‐entry Facility is taking root at county parks. Trees and plants that were cultivated and grown at the jail's greenhouse will be planted at five parks all over the county this month—including Lakeside’s El Monte Park here in East County.
The Civics Program is a partnership between the Sheriff's Department and County Parks and Recreation.
Inmate workers perform tasks such as landscaping, cleaning county parks, trails, canals or ditches, clearing vegetation, creating fire buffer zones, as well as trimming and cutting hazardous trees.
The program started in July 2014 to help inmates develop skills and work habits needed to secure honest employment after their release. Gardening can be therapeutic and gives inmates a sense of purpose while serving time behind bars. The work they do for County Parks also helps inmates build healthier connections with the community.
To be eligible for the program, inmates must be housed at the East Mesa Jail and have six months or less left in their sentences. They can't be convicted of violent or sexual crimes. While outside, a deputy is on site and watches inmates at all times.
An instructor from Grossmont‐Cuyamaca Community College teaches inmates basic horticultural and landscaping skills. Inmates graduate with a certificate of participation.
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