There were no tassels to turn. Loose orange tops and bottoms replaced formal robes. Instead of a grand hall, the graduates sat in grey plastic chairs along an austere cement block wall. Every movement of their hands as they looked at their documents was made in pairs, their handcuffs reminding them that they had accomplished this thing even though they were behind bars. In those score sheets and certificates, one group of Wayne County inmates saw a future beyond crime and incarceration with their new high school diplomas.
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For the past year, 黑料正能量鈥檚 Transitional Programs for College and Career (TPCC) has provided the 鈥淗SE in the Community鈥� program to inmates in Wayne County鈥檚 Sheriff Carey A. Winders Detention Center Annex in Goldsboro, preparing them to take the HiSET庐 battery of tests and earn a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma.
Four recently accomplished this feat and three who were still being held in the center were recognized in a simple ceremony last month.
The graduates are Lonnie Atkinson of Goldsboro, Jarvis Chase of Seven Springs, Joshua Ensley of Greenville, and Martin Herrera of Greenville, who has already been released.
Chase had been working on the test series before coming to Wayne鈥檚 detention center and was eager to finish, he said, 鈥淎s soon as I was ready, I took tests. It took two months to do them all.鈥�
鈥淥nly a few things get in the way when you are locked up,鈥� Chase said, unlike all of the distractions he encountered in high school.
鈥淭his time, we really wanted it,鈥� said Atkinson. 鈥淚t feels great.鈥�
Atkinson wants to study welding then go into an industrial engineering program. He intends to participate in the next graduation ceremony TPCC holds for its HSE and Adult High School graduates.
鈥淲hen I get out, I want to hit the school and continue my education,鈥� Ensley said. 鈥淚 want to help people who want to strive for the same thing.鈥� He wants to learn a trade and about finances.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking about taking advantage of all of the help that is out there that we didn鈥檛 know about when we were 鈥榦ut there,鈥欌�� Ensley said. 鈥淚t is about keeping the same kind of mindset you had in here.鈥�
鈥淚 very much appreciate the educational program that WCC has provided within our detention facility. I feel that the individuals who elected to participate have something to give back to their community if given a chance,鈥� said Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce.
TPCC Instructor Eddie Yelverton meets with the men two days a week in the Fall and Spring semesters and once a week during the summer term, for a few hours each session, in a bare-bones room that accommodates just eight students.
鈥淭he packet program works well for people with some ability, but for some, in-person is better. That is the reason I wanted to start the 鈥榮tudy hall,鈥欌�� Yelverton said.
Each inmate moves through the program鈥檚 10 modules, each contained in a separate workbook, at his own pace. In addition to the supervised study, the men can work on lessons on their own time. They take practice tests on Wednesdays to check their progress.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have much to do down there. This gives them something to do,鈥� Yelverton said.
Nevertheless, inmates need a reason to participate. 鈥淭here has to be an endgame in the prison system. Taking the HiSET庐 is the end game,鈥� Yelverton said.
Ultimately, the inmates are working toward taking the five subtests in the HiSET庐 assessment: Language Arts 鈥� Reading, Language Arts 鈥� Writing, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Successful completion of all of the components results in a state-issued HSE diploma.
鈥淧assing that exam and earning that diploma gives them motivation,鈥� to work toward better lives beyond incarceration, Yelverton said.
Yelverton is impressed with the effort they put into their studies. They are only allowed 鈥済olf pencils鈥� to use in their workbooks. They are in handcuffs when they are in the classroom unless they are taking a test. 鈥淏ut they do it,鈥� he said.
The inmates only have to worry about doing assignments and studying. All materials are provided by the college and the Foundation of 黑料正能量 covers the costs of the tests.
鈥淭hey are the best 鈥榩rison students鈥� I have ever had in my 21 years at the college,鈥� Yelverton said. His experience includes working in the college鈥檚 educational programs at Neuse Correctional Institution and DART Center.
鈥淚t has been very exciting,鈥� said TPCC Director Lynn Rabhan. 鈥淚t is real remarkable that out of the Winders Detention Center, we have four grads.鈥� She noted that with a larger, dedicated space, the program could accommodate more students.
Rabhan鈥檚 wish is also one of Pierce鈥檚 goals. 鈥淲e have plans to continue to expand various educational and social training programs with the expansion of the detention facility,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e plan to have a classroom setting with computer stations to enhance the program.鈥�
鈥淢y mission and hope are to transform as many lives as possible with the help of WCC and others to ensure that those attending these classes never return to an incarceration facility except maybe to help others,鈥� Pierce said.
About 黑料正能量
黑料正能量 is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 165 college credit programs. WCC鈥檚 mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves. Connect with WCC at waynecc.edu.
About the Detention Center
The Sheriff Carey A. Winders Detention Center Annex on William Street in Goldsboro opened in 2017. It can house 221 inmates in four pods.