Women’s prison holds a graduation for inmates earning high school diploma

LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — More than 70 state prison inmates earned their high school diplomas on Friday at the Gregory S. Coleman Unit.

The Coleman Unit is home to a unique program hosted by the Goodwill Excel Center that empowers inmates to pursue their education through an accelerated learning program for adults. This unit’s justice education campus is one of four located in Texas prisons that offers inmates the chance to earn their high school diploma and is the only one in a women’s facility.

The ceremony took place in the prison’s gym, decorated by inmates with traditional blue and gold balloons, streamers and graduation signage. Each graduate wore a blue cap and gown, adorned with cords reflecting their achievements throughout the educational program.

Lucia Mendez wore two cords, a gold one representing her success as an honor roll student, and a green one representing her achievement in earning a certification outside of her coursework. Mendez is now a certified logistics technician through Austin Community College.

“My certification in logistics just basically means that I can go in the world and go to a job and show that I did this and I accomplished a certification,” Mendez said. “And they can start me at a higher position instead of having to work my way up.”

Many of the Coleman students completed certifications through ACC for various trades, something that gives them an advantage when looking for a job upon reentry.

“It’s important for me to get my education because, you know, my family, that’s something that they didn’t get at all,” Mendez said. “It was like sixth-grade education that they would get the most, so it’s very important to me to be that first person in my family to break the chain.”

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, more than 650,000 men and women nationwide, including 78,000 inmates in Texas, are released from prison each year. A special report by the U.S. Department of Justice said more than 40% of individuals released are rearrested within one year, and more than 75% are rearrested within five years.

A study by Northwestern shows that incarcerated individuals who participate in prison education programs have a 43% reduction in recidivism rates, meaning they are less likely to re-offend. Theresa Rappaport — the superintendent of The Goodwill Excel Center — said individuals who participate in an education program are not only less likely to reoffend, but their children are also less likely to end up incarcerated.

“When students have this opportunity to earn their education, to finish their high school diploma, to make a difference in their own lives and their family’s lives,” Rappaport said. “When they are released and returned to their communities, they have that foundation to ultimately be successful.”

Sen. John Cornyn has a history of supporting prison reform legislature and programs such as the Goodwill Excel Center. Alongside Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cornyn introduced the Workforce Reentry Act this week, which would create a permanent program that funds organizations with a history of successfully connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with career development opportunities.

“One of the greatest challenges individuals face when leaving prison is the ability to find and hold a job,” Sen. Cornyn said in a press release. “This legislation would help fill this gap and reduce recidivism by ensuring more Texans have access to the tools and training needed to gain employment and turn their lives around.”

This bill differs from John Cornyn’s 2018 First Step Act, which allowed certain incarcerated individuals to earn early release by engaging in recidivism reduction programs or productive activities. This Trump-era bill was a rare bipartisan effort that successfully paved the way for legislation, such as Cornyn’s new Workforce Reentry Act.

The Goodwill Excel Center offers programs for individuals aged 18-50 who did not complete their high school education. Students can progress through the program at their own pace based on their prior education level, with a maximum duration of two and a half years.

Amongst the graduates today was Kirsten Violette, who had already earned her GED before entering incarceration in her early 20s. Her previous unit did not allow inmates to get their high school diplomas past a certain age.

“When I got here to Lockhart, it was an opportunity, I took it, and I applied and got accepted,” Violette said. “It took me nine months to get my diploma and now I work industry and I actually get paid.”

Violette is a mother from a teenage pregnancy, and she said she wants her kids to see her accomplishments and know she is working hard.

“It shows my children that, you know, we come across things in life that try to hold us back,” Violette said. “But as long as you have a strong mind and your mental is there, you can accomplish anything.”

Some of Friday’s graduates will be released from prison in the next couple of months and will be working with a transition coach to plan their reentry. Others still have some time left to serve. Those who want to continue their education during their incarceration may pursue enrollment in a local community college or earn an industry certification.

“It is so powerful to see that you can have challenges in your life, and maybe you have messed up along the way, but that doesn’t have to define who you are,” Rappaport said. “And you can choose to change, and you can choose to take advantage of those second chances, and so I want other people to be inspired by the students we have graduating today.”

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