Salina inmates get diplomas behind bars

Last Update: 6/10/2009 5:09 pm

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Salina inmates work toward diplomas behind bars

SALINA, Kansas – A program at the Saline County Jail hopes to educate as well as rehabilitate. Run by the Smoky Hill Education Center, the program gives inmates an opportunity to get their high school diplomas.

The students are working toward getting their diplomas, but once class is over it’s back behind bars.

"It had always been an expectation to finish,” said student Joel Brewer.

Inmates at the jail spend their days in the classroom. For one reason or another, the men never graduated from high school, but now they’ve been given another chance.

“It helps me to better myself so when I get back out there I can get a better job,” said student Omega Mitchell.

Mitchell says working toward a diploma makes his time in jail seem worthwhile.

"The teacher can focus on us a little bit better than having a whole class full of people,” he said.

"They know that they're here to study and they know they're here to work on their diploma,” said Gary Hauptli, who teaches the inmates. “If they mess up, well it's a privilege that's taken away from them."

The teachers in the jail program are former high school teachers who have successfully graduated 14 students in the four years the program has been around. They say there's much less pressure teaching in this environment.

“People would probably think if you're teaching in a jail, you would have a lot of problems, but I've actually had fewer problems here than I would if I were in public school,” Hauptli said.

Each inmate begins their studies at a different level, so it takes some longer than others to complete the program. They use the same material as local high schools but work on their own.

“This has been very rewarding because the guys do what they're asked to do,” said Floyd Gwin, who teaches the inmates.”

Organizers hope to graduate four more inmates by the end of the year.

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