33 receive GEDs, 12 complete Vocational Landscaping program

33 receive GEDs, 12 complete Vocational Landscaping program

Wilcox State Prison hosts ceremony

FORSYTH, Ga. – On August 17, Wilcox State Prison (SP) hosted a graduation ceremony to celebrate 33 offenders who received their GED and 12 offenders who received Landscaping Specialist certificates.

“Our mission is to provide effective programming to the offender population, so they can obtain gainful employment upon reentry,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier. “We are grateful to our hardworking staff and our partners at Wiregrass Technical College for helping to make these programs a success.”

At the event, the Valedictorian recognized Education Officer Debbie Williams with the agency’s Golden Apple Award, for her exemplary efforts in helping the offenders earn their diploma.

The GED program at Wilcox SP provides educational services catered to offenders who did not complete their high school education. Students must pass tests in four basic subject areas to acquire their GED: Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

The Vocational Landscaping program is in partnership with Wiregrass Technical College. The 30-week program is broken down into two 15-week semesters, and offenders receive a certificate as a Landscape Specialist upon completion.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5248 or visit http://www.gdc.ga.gov.

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