Here at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office, we strive to provide every resource possible to help our inmates reenter the community with a clear path towards leading a law-abiding and productive lifestyle.

We especially feel our efforts are worthwhile when a previously incarcerated individual is never again placed in our custody.

The community has much to offer our inmates in terms of familiarizing them with the skills and qualities which will help them succeed. We strongly encourage people who wish to help our inmates to volunteer to share their skills and insights with those who can benefit from them the most.

These are some of the areas of insight/expertise we wish to have shared with our inmates:

If you feel that you can spare some time to share any of these lifeskills with our inmates, both NSO and our inmates would be very appreciative.

If you are interested in volunteering or to serve as a religious volunteer, please contact NSO Programs Director, Dr. Kirk T. Houston at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (757) 664-4191.

You may also choose to fill out the form linked below:

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment or in the admission and access to its services, programs or activities.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office provides reasonable and required access for disabled individuals. Inmates with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations relative to security and program needs. No inmate is denied access to programs or work opportunities solely because of a disability unless no reasonable accommodation can be made. Facilities for handicapped staff and visitors are available in the Norfolk City Jail consistent with security and safety needs. Public areas of the Norfolk City Jail are accessible by handicapped individuals.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the Department has designated an ADA COORDINATOR to carry out this Department’s compliance with the non-discrimination requirements of the ADA. Information concerning the provisions of the ADA and this Department’s compliance are available from the Department’s ADA UNIT:


ADA Coordinator
Norfolk Sheriff’s Office
Administration Building
140 East Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 664-4700

Combined Courts

Community Affairs

Project Lifesaver

Camp HOPE Norfolk is the first summer camp and mentoring program in Virginia for children who have experienced primary or secondary abuse and trauma.

This groundbreaking camp, which offers a clinically-proven curriculum designed to help children overcome trauma to lead more hopeful lives, is being offered by the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Family Justice Center. The camp is held at Camp Silver Beach.

What makes Camp HOPE Norfolk special is the trauma-informed lens the program was developed from. At Camp HOPE Norfolk, we praise campers for the person that they are becoming; seeing their character for who they are and not what they have accomplished. From the beginning, the goal has been to create a year-round program where youth can feel safe, seen, heard, encouraged, and cared for. Camp HOPE Norfolk is composed of a week of camp, supported by year-round activities.

The year-round piece of the Camp HOPE Norfolk program is intended to create a safe and nurturing community for not only the youth involved, but their families as well. The events held throughout the year are varied, ranging from team building activities to college tours. We want to continue to expose children and teens to potential careers they never would have known about, STEAM projects, hobbies and interests, etc., while also giving them positive role models and friends.

“We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary experience to children who have experienced trauma they did not deserve,” Lt. Meryah Breeden. “By founding a Camp HOPE in our region, we are taking an important step toward giving kids back part of the childhoods they have lost to abuse and trauma. We are also giving them hope they can lead safer, healthier lives free of trauma and abuse in the future.”

Camp HOPE Norfolk is modeled after several other Camp HOPE programs which have launched throughout the United States in recent years. The first Camp HOPE opened in San Diego, Calif. in 2003. Clinical research has shown these camps work; giving children who attend a greater sense of optimism and resiliency. This unique camp offers children an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature and the joys of summer. Camp HOPE Norfolk kids will also have a unique component of understanding their trauma and helping them cope with it and overcome it in a very committed way with a curriculum that’s there to help them overcome their experiences.

Children who are eligible are screened through the Family Justice Center, and will attend Camp HOPE Norfolk for free through grants procured through the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

For more information please contact the Family Justice Center.