Erase the Past.
Build a Better Future.
Stand with us as we build the Jails to Jobs Tattoo Removal Clinic in Oakland, CA. A free, trauma-informed tattoo removal center creating second chances for people reentering society and survivors.
The Challenge
Visible tattoos can limit employment, housing, personal safety, and how someone is seen, even after they have worked hard to change their life.
For individuals impacted by incarceration, gang involvement, and antisocial survival behaviors, tattoos often signal a past they are actively leaving behind. For survivors of sex trafficking and intimate partner violence, tattoos bearing an abuser’s name or symbols of control can remain daily reminders of trauma.
Unwanted tattoos become visible barriers to healing, opportunity, and reintegration.
Breaking the Cycle of Trauma
At Jails to Jobs, we believe in restoration, not just removal, but renewal.
Free, trauma-informed tattoo removal is often a critical first step in reclaiming identity, dignity, and hope. This care is not cosmetic. It is restorative support that helps people move safely through their communities and toward employment, stability, and healing.
Our Solution
In early 2026, we will open the Jails to Jobs Tattoo Removal Clinic in Oakland, California, offering consistent, accessible care for those seeking a second chance.
Approach and Innovation
The Oakland clinic will serve as both a care site and a learning hub.
We will study, refine, and document best practices in community-based tattoo removal, using what we learn to strengthen programs nationwide. This work informs our free technical assistance and drives updates to the nation’s only comprehensive how-to guide for free and low-cost tattoo removal programs, which we publish and distribute to expand access across the country.
Why Oakland?
- Central, transit-accessible location
- Steps from 12th St. BART, with Bay Area access
- Strong reentry and community partnerships
- Access to supportive services and workforce programs
- Vibrant social justice community supporting our mission.
This clinic helps fill a critical gap in the SF Bay Area by providing free, trauma-informed tattoo removal for individuals impacted by incarceration, gang involvement, antisocial coping behaviors, sex trafficking, and intimate partner violence.
Clinic Location
320 13th St, Suite 101
Oakland, CA
Our Model of Care
Healing Tattoo Removal
Free laser treatment for individuals impacted by incarceration, gang involvement, antisocial coping behaviors, sex trafficking, and intimate partner violence.
Clinical Infrastructure
A fully equipped, volunteer-powered clinic with fixtures and furnishings, medical equipment, and supplies to deliver safe, dignified care.
Clinical Innovation
Sharing best practices nationwide through a comprehensive, field-tested guide.
Beyond Removal
Support that extends beyond medical treatment, helping individuals rebuild autonomy, safety, and their lives.
Launching the Clinic
To successfully open and operate the Oakland clinic during its first year, we are raising $60,000 which will enable us to sustain year-one operations and support:
- Clinic build-out and safety upgrades and treatment room preparation
- Clinic equipment, furnishings, and setup
- Medical supplies and consumables
- Equipment maintenance and servicing
- Provider and volunteer training
- Insurance and general operating expenses
We are grateful to have been gifted an older, used laser and to have purchased a used Zimmer cold air system for pain relief and safety. While these tools allow us to begin serving patients, they are not long-term solutions.
An investment of $250,000 will allow us to purchase a state-of-the-art laser device and essential medical equipment, support staff training, and professional development, and ensure reliable treatment capacity, reduced downtime, improved safety, and the ability to meet growing patient demand with consistency and clinical excellence.
Looking ahead, $1 million will enable us to establish an operating endowment, providing sustainable support for clinic operations over the next ten years. This endowment will protect the program from funding volatility, ensure uninterrupted access to free care, and allow the clinic to invest in community health workers and medical leadership support, strengthening care coordination, patient follow-up, and long-term program sustainability. Together, these investments will allow the clinic to serve thousands of individuals seeking to remove visible barriers to employment, safety, and reintegration.
Together, these investments create a clear pathway from launch, to stability, to long-term impact.
All medical providers and clinic team members are volunteers.
Every service is free.
Your Impact Matters
Whether you give $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, or any amount, your support is more than a donation. It is a foundation.
We deeply appreciate your contribution. It tells people reentering society and survivors: You matter. Your past does not define you. Your future is possible.
Stand with us as we launch the Jails to Jobs Tattoo Removal Clinic in Oakland. Help us turn pain into possibility and second chances into lasting change. Together, we can transform stories of survival into stories of healing and wholeness.
For more Information or
Mail-In Donations
Contact
Jails to Jobs
3641 Mount Diablo Blvd., #1164
Lafayette, CA 94549
Questions? E-mail Us >
The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Jails to Jobs, Inc., as a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
(Federal Tax ID # 61-1678994). Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.