Jamestown, Ca — 48 Sierra Conservation Center inmates received GED certificates this afternoon at a ceremony held at the prison.
?It is a big moment in their lives, lives that have not been the most successful or positive,? says Larry Cone, Principal at the SCC Adult Day School. ?It is something that they take great pride in, and the families get to come celebrate it with them.?
The keynote speaker was Ray Robinson, an inmate at SCC from August of 1997 to September of 1998. Robinson was incarcerated due to multiple counts of insurance fraud, and upon leaving says that he made the decision that he would never be behind bars again. This was the focus of his message.
?When you leave out of the state prison, you have the obvious stigma of having a state prison felony,? says Robinson. ?But that is not going to stop you from succeeding. The decisions that you make when you hit the street will determine whether or not you are going to make it on the street.?
Besides the 48 GED recipients, inmates were recognized for graduating from welding, masonry, carpentry, and mill and cabinet programs.
Written by BJ Hansen
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 1:38 pm