Future plans
GED program helps youth find alternative path to success

By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Friday, January 9, 2009 12:17 PM PST

Adam Martinez works on his car Thursday afternoon in Payette. Martinez received his general equivalency diploma in December while incarcerated at the Malheur County Jail and spoke highly of the programs offered by the jail, which helped him to change his priorities in life.

Vale — With the recent general equivalency diploma graduation of one former Malheur County inmate, Malheur County Jail officials are seeking to get the word out about productive ways for inmates to spend their time behind bars.

Adam Martinez, 21, Payette, was the second inmate to receive a general equivalency diploma on Dec. 18, while incarcerated at Malheur County Jail for six and a half months.

In a phone interview Thursday, Martinez said he always wanted to continue his education and plans to go to Treasure Valley Community College in the fall to become an electrician. Though he has previously attempted to get his G.E.D., he said he was never really motivated to do so until the opportunity to pursue the diploma was made available to him while incarcerated for contempt of court. 

Another big factor, he said, is his 2-year-old son, Jaydon. Martinez said he wrote him letters while in jail for him to read when he is older to teach him the importance of “not letting other people get you down.”

Martinez spoke highly of the program and said he is taking this opportunity to turn his life around.

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“I had been running from the law since I was 18,” he said.

The running, he said, caused a distance between him and his son. Now that he is focused on his education and getting a job, he said he and his son have become closer. He also said having a degree will allow him more opportunities to find employment. Prior to his incarceration, he said fighting, drugs and alcohol were common for him and he was kicked out of Nyssa High School three months before graduation. However, he spoke highly of his education at NHS, since they would teach responsibility by leaving students to their own means to get assignments done on time.

He said he first took another look at obtaining a G.E.D. in October and took his final test in December

Malheur County Jail commander Rachel Reyna said she does not see a large number of G.E.D. graduates because there are five tests  and most do not stay with the jail for long enough to complete the program. TVCC Director of Adult Education Jane Luther said how long it takes for an inmate to complete the program varies depending on their educational experience and how motivated they are.

However, Malheur County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ty Birdsong said Martinez focused on completing the G.E.D. and was able to earn the diploma while serving time in the jail.

Reyna said the program has been available since 2001. Birdsong said the G.E.D. program also known as the Boundaries program is conducted in conjunction with Treasure Valley Community College and is only open to inmates who are on good behavior. Birdsong also said jail officials weed out inmates who are simply attempting to use the programs to get time taken away from their sentences. In order to be eligible for the Boundaries Program, an inmate must take a pre-test, and if they score high enough, they are eligible to continue in the course. In 2008, two inmates took the pre-test, with only Martinez graduating from the program. Though not all inmates who pass the test go onto graduate, Birdsong said he hopes the inmates use their G.E.D. foundation from the jail to help them pursue their educational goals.

Program participants meet for one to two hours on Saturdays under the direction of TVCC’s Robert Caputi. Jail officials said the total number of participation hours for 2008 is 54.

The jail also offers other drug and alcohol rehabilitation classes through Lifeways, as well as parenting, anger management, self esteem and relapse prevention classes through The Family Place. The Family Place, situated at 390 N.E. Second St., in Ontario, provides four instructors for the classes.

Birdsong spoke highly of the parenting classes because they allow inmates to break the cycle of violence and strict parenting they may have been brought up in. Children of inmates, he said, are statistically more likely to become inmates themselves. However, through education, he said he hopes to keep children of inmates “out of that same old rut.”

Martinez spoke highly of the parenting class

The jail also offers classes such as food preparation, which allows inmates to have some training when they go back into the workforce. The food preparation class is taught by a cook in the facility. Birdsong stressed that the class does not limit the inmates to fast food preparation but also gives them food preparation certification which may allow them to work in other restaurants.

Though some inmates may find going back into the workforce daunting, Birdsong said it is important inmates are upfront with employers regarding their time in custody and explain how they are working to move in a new direction.

The Malheur County Jail also offers Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes in conjunction with the Vale Fire and Ambulance department. Birdsong said this program will also help inmates who are seeking a job that requires CPR certification.

In a press release, jail officials said these programs decrease the amount of times an inmate will return to custody, which saves taxpayers money.

“It’s a win/win for everybody,” Malheur County Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said.