Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Goal Exceeded by end of March

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) announced today that the number of vocational certificates completed by incarcerated offenders has surpassed the agency’s goal of 7,000 for Fiscal Year 2018. By the end of March, the total number of completions reached 7,76, with that number growing to 7,799 by May 1.

In keeping with GDC’s commitment to ensuring offenders have programming available to aide in their successful reentry, six additional Education Program Specialists are in place and are dedicated full-time to provide support for career and technical education in each of GDC’s three regions.

“Completing a vocational program creates an opportunity for offenders to learn a skill while incarcerated and become productive citizens when returning to their communities,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier. “I am proud of our team for their commitment to helping offenders with successful reentry.”

“This team has been instrumental in increasing the opportunities for offender education and improving staff training on identifying, scheduling, and completing career technical education opportunities,” said Dr. Heather Corbett, Director of Career and Technical Education at GDC. “We are always analyzing data to look for ways we can continue to improve,” she added.

The number of vocational completions, including career, technical, and on-the-job training, increased by 41.7 percent, from 4,298, in fiscal year 2016, to 6,090, in fiscal year 2017.

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The Georgia Department of Corrections (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 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.ga.gov.