A new partnership between San Diego County and the California Department of Motor Vehicles will help soon-to-be-released inmates get government identification.
Those who are released from jail without valid ID, officials said, may have problems accessing housing and government services or getting a job.
"We think that this is about removing barriers and helping our inmates and setting them up for success as they reenter society," said Marc Regier, staff officer for the county's Chief Administrative Office. "In the long term, we think it will help them break out of that cycle and reduce recidivism."
About four months before an inmate is scheduled to be released from jail, Regier said, the Sheriff's Department will send his or her name to the DMV to determine eligibility for an ID card.