Three Charlotte County Jail inmates received their GED diploma after completing the jail’s education program. A graduation ceremony was held this past week to celebrate their achievement.
“This is about your life, once you walk through that real door you have to stay there,” said William Holmes, an instructor at Charlotte County Jail.
Holmes spoke from the heart as he congratulated three of his students for earning their GED. His students say the dedication of the Charlotte County employees like him is what makes the program so successful.
“The people here are outstanding for the program honestly,” said Xavier Sanchez, a graduate.
Since 2016, 30 inmates have graduated during their time at Charlotte County Jail.
“The goal is to reduce recidivism and to help them to be prepared and ready for society and be good community civilians,” said Capt. Tabbatha Carter.
Sanchez says not having a GED was a big hindrance.
“It led me to making wrong decisions and hanging out with other people who didn’t care about their education or their life or anything like that.” he said.
Now that he has his diploma, Sanchez plans to continue his education and study software engineering after he’s released.
“It’s opened a lot of doors,” said Sanchez.
The education program at Charlotte County Jail holds an important role in preparing inmates for a successful future.
“It’s just the beginning for them to know there’s more. Go out, seek more education because without education it is hard and you’re going to struggle to try and maintain and get a good job,” said Carter.
There are currently four other inmates at Charlotte County Jail who are working on earning their GED too.
