LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – For some inmates at the Lubbock County Detention Center, the path to a new life starts behind bars.
Education Coordinator Tammy Smith Russell says the GED program is open to all inmates and all they have to do is send in a request to join.
She says the goal of the program is to provide education and hopefully lead to better outcomes and opportunities once inmates are released.
What the program offers
This program provides a real teacher for the inmates, making it similar to a real classroom experience.
“We have retired teachers come out and teach classes, we have Texas Tech students come out and teach GED they both go to the male pods and the female pods,” Smith Russell said. “They have classes that last about anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half throughout the day, so they can take classes at 8 o clock in the morning and not finish till 4 o’clock in the afternoon.”
Subjects like math, reading, science and social studies are taught through the self-paced program. Once completed, Smith Russell says the department offers various opportunities for the newly grads once they finish their sentence.
Opportunities once released
“We partner with Texas Tech, the CSAR program, so there’s an opportunity for them to go to Tech and with that program it helps them get grants and scholarships so they can expand on their education,” Smith Russell said. “Also, our reentry program, with their diploma they get to go apply for jobs they would have never had the opportunity to.”
Smith Russell says this program has had over 300 graduates since starting in 2017.
Lubbock County Jail offers GED program to inmates(KCBD)
She believes it not only benefits the inmates, but the community as a whole by helping these inmates re-enter society better prepared.
“The inmates, it builds their confidence. This is the first time a lot of them ever graduated from anything, so they take pride in themselves,” Smith Russell said. “We invite families to get a chance to see the graduation as well, because they wear caps and gowns, that just shows, they want to show their children they can do it.”
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