Oklahoma Jail Gives 1st GED

EDMOND — Statistics show that education equals opportunity for law-abiding citizens and for inmates.In order to be self-sustaining without any type of public assistance a released offender with no dependents must earn at least $17,706 annually in Oklahoma County, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.Average annual earnings of full-time, full-year wage and salary workers ages 25-34 possessing a high school diploma or equivalent was $32,900, according to 2009 data from the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics.Logan County Sheriff Jim Bauman and staff have announced that their first inmate in a new program has taken the General Equivalency Diploma test. Officials had not received the results yet but they were optimistic.Chief Deputy Rob Groseclose said the development marks a major step forward for all Logan County citizens, which includes parts of north Edmond, as officials attempt to provide life skills to reduce the likelihood of repeat offenders.Groseclose said Sheriff Bauman, a strong supporter of giving offenders tools to help them better their lives, also has begun programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.“We’re trying to help the offender make the best of a bad situation,” Groseclose said. “Having a GED will give them a better chance at succeeding in life. There’s really no ‘bad’ to it.”The GED program would not have been possible without the efforts of Cpl. Jessica Lasley, who overcame several obstacles as she developed it, Groseclose said.Lasley said getting the program to this point has taken about a year. Tasks included acquiring the GED books, which were donated by Guthrie Jobs Corps, and other materials such as calculators, which were donated by the family of an ex-inmate. Lasley and a math teacher assist the inmates with their studies. She also had to learn about paperwork, if there were any legal issues to comply with.When Lasley explained the GED program to inmates, some of whom had not advanced beyond the sixth grade, more expressed interest than she anticipated. One inmate said they had been wanting to do this for a long time, she said. Some participated to help give them a leg up on finding a job.Lasley said when inmates make progress she can see their confidence increase.“It feels awesome,” she said about helping others. “It makes me feel good to be able to do so.”Groseclose said he wanted to thank Sheriff Bauman, jail staff and the Payne County jail, which welcomed them into their test facility. Groseclose said there’s a limited amount of such facilities across the state.