The men and women serving time at MTC detention centers are typically detained for short durations. Throughout their brief stay, MTC strives to give these men and women opportunities to improve their education, learn new skills, and enhance their lives.

Three detainees at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, CA recently thanked staff member Rocio Murrieta for the opportunity to work in the kitchen.

Carlos Alfredo Cardenas wrote,

“The reason for this letter is to thank you for letting me grow in the area of baking and for having all the patience in the world to show us a lot of things that we did not know of in baking since my country does not have the same resources as this one. This helped me a lot. Thank you also for the certificates you gave me, and I hope they open up doors for me when I leave.”

Sabino Serrano Puente wrote,

“I send you this simple letter to thank everyone in the kitchen staff and to let you know I had some great days with you all. You are a great team. You all work evenly and with humane qualities. I am very grateful for the opportunity.”

And another detainee, whose name was withheld, wrote,

“I want to thank you for the teachings. You have been a good person to me and my partners. Thank you for the advice and for accepting our suggestions for food. And I wanted to remind you to send me the recipe for the cake. When I leave, I want to make it. It was a pleasure meeting you. Take care and God bless you and your family.”