Male inmates are being transferred back into the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center in Devore for the first time in two years, after crews finished the first phase of a major remodeling project at the jail. The facility, which shut its doors in August 2024 for the overhaul, began receiving inmates from correctional facilities across San Bernardino County starting Saturday, Sept. 19.
Following the completion of the first phase of remodeling, the department began transferring inmates back to Glen Helen on that date, according to vvdailypress.com. The jail at 18000 Institution Road was shut down in August 2024 for the work, the outlet reports, and now the newly reopened wing is housing male inmates transferred from correctional facilities throughout San Bernardino County, per an Instagram post
from the department. The Victor Valley News Group, whose reporting first flagged the reopening for local readers, noted the timing lines up with the department's broader push to modernize its jail system.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus framed the reopening as more than just restoring bed space. Reopening GHRC is an important step in improving our correctional facilities and expanding rehabilitation and reentry services, Dicus said, according to the same report. The sheriff also expressed gratitude for the support of the Board of Supervisors and the work of staff and community partners in getting the first phase across the finish line.
What the Renovation Unlocks Elsewhere
The partial reopening isn't just about Devore. It will also enable the department to begin renovations of outdoor inmate recreational areas at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, the station's report notes — a project that had to wait on Glen Helen's progress. County officials describe these projects as improving existing facilities while supporting the department's focus on rehabilitation and successful reentry.
Before the closure, Glen Helen housed roughly 300 inmates and employed about 90 people, even though the facility has the capacity to house up to 1,446 inmates, per the same account. That gap between actual population and rated capacity underscores just how much room the remodel is meant to eventually reclaim.
A Facility Built for Reentry, Not Just Custody
The plan to remodel Glen Helen was never just about fresh paint and updated housing units. Back when the closure was first announced, the facility will be remodeled to be used as a future re-entry facility for the entire corrections system, according to vvng.com's 2024 coverage of the shutdown. That same closure allowed staff to be reassigned in ways that let the department completely open all housing units at the High Desert Detention Center, which had already gained 353 beds of corrections capacity from an earlier expansion, vvng.com reported at the time.
Additional renovations and plans to expand rehabilitation and reentry services continue, the department said in its Instagram announcement of the reopening. Renovations will continue on other portions of the institution, with the second phase expected to be completed later this year, according to vvdailypress.com's report — meaning Saturday's reopening is a milestone, not a finish line.
Connecting Inmates to Services Before Release
Part of the reentry vision already has infrastructure behind it. The FAITHS Throughcare Program, a rehabilitative effort for people and their families navigating San Bernardino County's jail system, already provides psychoeducation, counseling and case management to people in custody at Glen Helen, the High Desert Detention Center and the West Valley Detention Center, according to the CSG Justice Center. The program also extends beyond the jail walls, offering out-of-custody reentry services at the FAITHS community site once people are released.
Additional work at Glen Helen aims to further expand those kinds of reentry services, connecting individuals with housing, mental health and other supportive services before release, according to the sheriff's department. For a facility once defined mainly by its capacity numbers, that shift toward services delivered before someone walks back out the gate marks the clearest sign of what county officials say this two-year renovation was built to accomplish.
