EDITORIAL: Inmate education can help slow revolving jailhouse door

Indeed, Wednesday was one of the good days.

That was the assessment of Col. John Ostrander of the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office when two men, Nukemar Ansell Batten and Jamarcus Dreshon Boyd, got their GEDs in an unusual setting — the Dougherty County Jail.

Batten and Boyd are inmates at the facility, but were able to complete the work for the diplomas that, officials hope, will help them down a new path when they are released. So far the GED program at the jail, which started in 2010, has resulted in 25 male inmates and one female inmate earning the equivalency of a high school diploma.

The hope is that getting a GED will help the transition back into society for the graduates, interrupting the “revolving jailhouse door” that so many inmates go through in the corrections system. Every individual who’s guided to a new course is a win all the way around. The individual is free and in a better place. He or she is contributing to society rather than being a cost to it. Some of the taxpayer money spent to lock people up can be directed to other areas.

One of the reasons this program is important is that a lack of education is one of the contributing factors to crime. That’s not to say that a high school or college graduate is immune to getting into serious trouble with the law, but a lack of education is a common characteristic of many of those who return to the corrections system. Others include substance abuse, mental illness and failure to connect with community resources.

“When people don’t even have a high school diploma, it is very, very difficult for them to get employment so that they can earn a good living, raise a family and be a productive member of society,” Ostrander noted.

One thing that also is important to note is that tax funds aren’t used in the jail’s GED program. Instruction is provided by Albany Technical College, but the books, materials and other resources used are paid for through private donations. This is also a program that is earned. The inmate has to do the work and, before he or she can qualify to participate, behavior, interest and the nature of the crime for which the inmate is incarcerated are taken into account.

“We see so many men and women that get trapped inside the system,” Sheriff Kevin Sproul observed Wednesday, “whether it is through drugs, gangs or some poor choice. They come to jail and as Col. Ostrander and his predecessor, and even my predecessor, used to say, we have got to break this vicious cycle. Recidivism is no good for anybody. It is a no-win situation. With the partnership of Dr. (Anthony) Parker, Albany Tech and the many men and women who have given funds for this program, we hope to break that cycle. We need education not re-incarceration.”

Nothing in life comes with a guarantee, but things can be done to improve the chances for better outcomes. This program is one of those things, and all those involved in it deserve to be commended for taking action that will have positive results.