Wyoming corrections GED rates among nation’s best
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Cheyenne – Out of 45 states, Wyoming has one of the strongest success rates for incarcerated individuals seeking to accomplish their GED.
Through the comparison of two national studies, the American Council on Education’s GED Testing in Correctional Centers and the PEW Center on the States’ Prison Count 2010, Wyoming ranks second among 45 states in the percentage of the total inmate population who earned a GED during 2010. Oregon was ranked first.
In addition, the ACE report showed that 204 individuals out of the 226 who received and completed the GED programming class passed their GED test for a 90 percent pass rate. According to current statistics, approximately 13 percent of inmates who enter prison in Wyoming have not completed high school or obtained their GED. With a total prison population of 2,075 in 2010, Wyoming’s correctional system had almost 10 percent of its prison population complete and pass their GED.
The only other states with a higher pass rate were Iowa at 97 percent and Nebraska at 93 percent. The only state with a higher percentage of population passing the GED was Oregon, ranked first, at 11 percent.
“Education is a key factor in preparing individuals for reentry into our communities,” Wyoming Department of Corrections Director Bob Lampert said. “It opens more doors and provides greater opportunities for individuals as they transition.”
“Education has been and will continue to be a key factor in our efforts to help our offenders transition from prison and reduce their rate to re-offend,” he said. “Of those inmates with an assessed need for education who released from confinement during fiscal year 2012, 74% had successfully completed a GED during their incarceration.”
“The success of Wyoming DOC GED graduates can be attributed to the excellent education programs and staff in our five facilities,” Betty Abbott, WDOC Education Program Manager, said. “Our educators are motivated, skilled and well trained to provide the education services our offenders need to succeed.”
