The Chatham County Detention Center offers detainees the opportunity to acquire a General Educational Development certificate through G.E.T. Skills, a local educational program vendor. This program is available for both female and male detainees. The preparatory portion of the GED program is customized for each participant based upon their educational needs and their ability to progress. Instructors are available to guide this process to a successful outcome for each participant.
Upon successful completion of this program, participants are afforded the opportunity to sit for the GED examinations. Savannah Technical College GED Testing Services hold exams at the detention center four times each year. Participation in the GED program is on a space-available basis with an active waiting list. The program conducts a recognition ceremony for all who successfully pass exams. The detainees are encouraged to continue their education by the State of Georgia, which awards a $500 Hope Scholarship for books and tuition with each GED certificate.
The GED is widely recognized by colleges, universities, training schools, the military, and employers as equivalent to a high school diploma. GED graduates make an average of $385,000 more in their lifetime than people without the GED or without a high school diploma. The greatest benefit from the GED can come to those who use it as a springboard to additional education and training. Particularly important to inmates wanting to break the cycle of crime and incarceration are the additional positive life-choice options the GED presents. This is equally true for the community in general.