Monterey County Jail hosts Inmate Job Fair
Giving inmates the help they need before they’re released back into society. On Tuesday, the Monterey County Sheriff’s office held its 4th Job and Resource Fair at the Jail. 65 inmates about to be released were allowed to the fair, meeting with 32 businesses and organizations willing to give them a second chance.
“It’s an important vision of Sheriff Steve Bernal to make sure we have rehabilitative programs here in the jail,” said Sarafina Tomaselli, corrections ombudsmen. “And so today’s event, the job fair, connects inmates who are in custody they’re preparing to be released back into the community, to have access to community organizations, job opportunities, fill out applications, to meet future employers and so forth.”
Rosa Alvarez, 29, is one of those inmates. She is due to be released later this summer and said she is already making plans.
“I’m trying to get my GED and I want to be a teacher assistant, like for special ed,” Alvarez said. “That’s the one I’ve been focusing in on.”
She, like others, is worried about filling out job applications and checking the box asking if she has a criminal record. There’s help for that.
“A lot of them will be hesitant to say either yes or no, so a part of my job is to teach them how to disclose their conviction without scaring the employer away, in a way the employer will say, ‘People make mistakes, they pay their debt to society, let’s give them a chance,'” said Faustino Orejel, re-entry specialist for the Department of Workforce Development Board.
Inmates say they’re motivated to never return to the Monterey County Jail. Orejel said workshops like this help keep them away.
“The fact that someone has gone through the prison system or jail system does not mean that they’re evil people,” Orejel said. “They’re just human beings like you and I, but they’ve made mistakes and they can bounce back and become productive citizens.”
Some of the organizations that were there – MST, San Benito One Stop Career Center, Rancho Cielo and Sun Street Centers.
