EFFINGHAM, S.C. — The Florence County Detention Center hosted its first-ever graduation ceremony last week, marking a historic milestone for local corrections. Through a partnership between the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and Florence One Schools’ Adult Education program, a new GED testing center opened at the detention center in March. Inmates can now earn their high school equivalency diploma, or GED, and graduate while at the facility.
“Higher wages, reduced recidivism, and improved family literacy rates are all potential positive outcomes for our students at the detention center. It’s a win-win-win for everyone to finally have the testing center fully operational. The graduation ceremony is the cherry on top,” says Dr. Lisa Justice, director of Florence One Adult Education.
The Florence One Schools program has taught classes in career readiness at the detention center for years. Inmates could earn a career-readiness certificate but would have to wait until release or a transfer to a state facility to take the GED.
People are also reading…
Since 2023, Captain Lynnette Patton and FCDC staff have worked with adult education teachers and Dr. Justice to establish GED prep classes for inmates. The goal was always to present participants with the possibility of earning their GED diploma on-site. “We’ve been working on this for so long,” says Patton. “Listening to the graduates today makes it all worth it.”
Like the GED exam itself, the approval process to become a testing center in a restricted location is not an easy task. From technology upgrades to proctor training, the process has multiple steps prior to administering the first actual test. “As the school year progressed, it looked like we might be delayed again, but once everything fell into place, the program produced two graduates within a matter of weeks. They had been studying for months, and both were more than ready to make history,” shares Dr. Justice.
Candidates are tested in four areas: math, science, social studies, and reasoning through language arts. To qualify for testing, a participant must have high school reading and math levels as determined by prior testing and class performance. Still, passing a subject-area test or earning a full GED is not guaranteed.
“For my students, this is a great opportunity to be able to achieve a major academic goal for the first time, making it a critical turning point in their self-perception,” says adult education teacher Vickie Scipio. “Obtaining or studying for a GED gives these men and women hope for the future and a new beginning in spite of their current environment. I am so proud of each one of them.”
“It’s such a blessing to be able to actually do something with myself in a difficult situation,” says (KF), the first inmate to take the tests and pass all four subjects. “My family is super proud of me,” he continues. “It’s the next step to something greater.” Another inmate, (KR), says he is now excited about his future and “all of the opportunities coming my way.”
The first graduating class includes five inmates. All of them had roles assigned during the ceremony and participated wearing caps and gowns provided by Adult Education. One graduate’s address sums up the entire effort for Captain Patton. “Please print what he said in his speech,” asked Patton:
“Fellow graduates, this ceremony is not the final destination; it is the launchpad. The discipline, accountability, and focus we developed to finish this program are the exact tools we will use to rebuild our lives. Our past is a chapter in our book, but it is not the title of our story. Let’s go out there – whether it is back to the housing units today or home to our communities someday in the future – and prove that our comeback is vastly greater than our setback.” - (KF), graduate.
Florence One Adult Education plans to expand the program next school year, adding more GED prep class sections and graduates. “For this year, I am just thrilled for these students, our teachers, and all of the relationships it took to make the testing center and the graduation ceremony a reality. Knowing that we have impacted someone’s future and the future of their family – that’s the ultimate payoff for us,” states Dr. Justice.
