East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (EMJDF) – San Diego Co.

East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (EMJDF) – San Diego Co. basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 619-671-4400

This facility is for juvenile residents.

The East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (EMJDF) – San Diego Co. is a medium to low-security detention center located at 446 Alta Rd San Diego, CA that is operated locally by the Juvenile Justice Department and holds youths awaiting the determination of punishment for the crimes which they are accused. Most of the adolescents are here for less than two years.

East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (EMJDF), is located in East Otay Mesa, north of Brown Field. It has a Board of Corrections maximum capacity of 290. EMJDF opened for operation in June 2004.

All youth housed at the Juvenile Halls are required to attend school Monday through Friday. The school at both sites is called the S.O.A.R. Academy and is run by the San Diego County Office of Education. Youth may earn credit towards receiving their high school diploma or earn their high school equivalency (HISET). Youth who already have their diploma or HISET may also have the opportunity to participate in college-level courses and earn college credit.

EMJDF offer a myriad of programs that are designed to assist our youth towards rehabilitation. Such programs include, but are not limited to, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Pet Therapy, Yoga, various Literacy Groups, Book Clubs and programs facilitated by SAY San Diego and Second Chance Programs. Additionally, special speakers are often times invited to encourage and inspire youth, such as renowned authors, professional athletes, and community leaders/volunteers.

Visits by Protestant and Catholic Church groups are also available to interested youth. Youth may also request to speak to a clergyperson of a different faith. Our Department makes every effort to arrange for such positive visitations.

When a youth is to be released, the probation officer will notify the parent or guardian with the date and time of release. Youth are to be picked up at Intake-Booking-Release (IBR) at the time of their release. The release procedure can take up to an hour after the parent has checked in with Booking.

If the youth is being released to Camp Barrett, their personal clothing will be transferred to the respective facility. If the youth is being released to the Department of Juvenile Justice the parents will be sent a letter outlining the procedure for obtaining the minor’s property. The East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility property rooms are small and a youth’s belongings will be held for 30 days; an appointment must be made prior to the pick up of the property.

visitation Info

East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (EMJDF) – Visitation

East Mesa Facility: Visiting occurs Monday through Friday (3:00 PM – 8:00 PM) and Sunday (last names A-L: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM and M-Z: 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM). 

Additionally, EMJDF offers Skype visitation. The purpose of Skype tele-visit is to allow youth the opportunity to visit with their parent/guardian/other approved visitor who is unable to come to EMJDF for a face-to-face visit.   Only visitors who are on the “approved visitor” list, which has been updated by the assigned probation officer, are permitted to have a Skype visit. Skype tele-visitation is available for all youth detained at EMJDF.  Skype tele-visitation is held Monday through Friday from 3:30pm to 8:00pm (the last Skype tele-visit will be scheduled at 7:30pm and will end by 8:00pm when the visiting center closes). Each Skype tele-visit is 30 minutes.

To schedule a Skype tele-visit for EMJDF, youth can request a visit from any officer. The officer will provide the Skype scheduler with the youth’s name and unit. The Skype Scheduler will contact the parent/legal guardian/approved visitor to set up a tele-visit. The interested visitor(s) can also contact the Skype Schedulers directly at (619) 671-4466 to schedule a Skype visitation appointment.

Holiday visiting hours remain the same except for Christmas Day, which follows the Sunday schedule.

Following are some regulations regarding visiting at Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (KMJDF) and East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (EMJDF):

• Parents, legal guardians, and others who are pre-approved by their assigned Probation Officer are permitted to visit.  You must bring a valid photo I.D.
• Youth who have children can request to have visits with their children while in custody.  These visits will also need to be approved through their assigned Probation Officer. 
• Special visits must be pre-approved through the minor’s Probation Officer, the KMJDF or EMJDF Watch Commander, or the Court for the visit.
• When entering KMJDF or EMJDF you may only bring in your I.D. and one key. There are a limited number of pay-per-use lockers available to secure your valuables. They cost $0.25 per use.
• You may bring in one (1) paperback book for your child, with their name and unit number written on it, to be placed in a receptacle in the lobby.