Commissioner: Timothy C. Ward

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

More than 60 certificates earned

FORSYTH, Ga. — The Georgia Diagnostic Classification Prison (GDCP) held a graduation ceremony April 3 to recognize 25 offenders who earned their General Equivalency Diploma (GED) diploma and 44 who completed On-the-Job training (OJT) programs. 

“Our mission is to reduce recidivism through effective programming and education,” said Timothy C. Ward, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC). “By obtaining a degree, offenders can return to society with the key to secure employment when released.”

The OJT program offers offenders an opportunity to work on a detail while earning a technical college completion certificate.  The graduates participated in various work assignments such as food preparation, grounds keeping, basic computer operations and general office clerk.  

To earn their GED diploma, offenders must pass tests in four basic subject areas: mathematics, language arts, science and social studies.  Each year, the GDC recognizes the top academic performers and currently GDCP leads the department in completions.

According to the Rand Corporation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, correctional education for incarcerated adults reduces the risk of post-release re-incarceration by 13 percent.

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.

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