101 Offenders Awarded High School Diploma

Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Valuable Partnership with Foothills Education Charter High School

FORSYTH, Ga. –The number of High School Diplomas obtained by Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) offenders, increased by 84 percent during Fiscal Year 2018 (July 1, 2017- June 30, 2018).  One hundred and one offenders successfully obtained their High School Diploma during FY18 and there have been 213 men and women graduate since the program’s inception in 2015.

“We are grateful for the opportunities offered through our partnership with Foothills Education Charter High School to afford our younger offenders the chance to earn their High School Diploma,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier.  “Obtaining a High School Diploma represents a vital step in the offender’s reentry process and gives offenders valuable tools to be successful citizens.”   

The Foothills Education Charter High School program officially opened in September of 2015 at Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Ga. The second was established in 2016 at Burruss Correctional Training Center in Forsyth, Ga, and the third was established in 2017 at Phillips State Prison in Buford, Ga.  GDC now has the ability to offer offenders under the age of 21 the chance to obtain a High School Diploma through the partnership with Foothills.

For more information, visit http://www.foothillscharter.org.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

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.georgia.gov.