NORTH BRUNSWICK – Eleven inmates from the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center successfully passed their General Educational Development (GED) tests after having taken courses at the jail for the past three months.
Jeffrey Binns, Jose Diez, Terrance Edwards, Marshall Erickson, Daquan Jackson, Paul Malinowski, Kevin Miranda, Richard Schiebe, Alfonso Soler, Thomas Swiecicki, and one other male who wished not to be named, completed an inmate education program and were honored with a ceremony at the facility on June 26.
“This speaks to your character and your willingness to push higher,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Christopher Rafano, chairman of the county’s Law and Public Safety Committee.
The education program began about five years ago and offers a three-month course for inmates who are incarcerated for “medium crimes and down,” as described by Warden Edmond Cicchi. The inmates meet twice a week with instructors from the Middlesex County Vocational Technical Schools Adult Education program and practice reading, writing, math, social studies and science skills.
“I found once the resistance was overcome and [the inmates] felt valued and respected, they began to ask questions … and absorbed information and sought knowledge,” instructor Lisa Fretz said.
Fretz said that a jailhouse setting is “different” from a regular classroom, and the inmates, who “often negotiated life from an antisocial viewpoint,” eventually learn to verbalize and become motivated.
Therefore, the teachers were impressed when their students were thrilled when passing their exams. Instructor Lawrence McHugh said the inmates expressed dreams of going to college, attending trade schools and pursuing careers as a result of their newfound education.
“One of our elements is to create a healthy society,” he said. “We hope that their futures are bright and successful. We hope you can leave here, hear the clanking of the door behind you for the last time, and be happy and successful people.”
One such person is Binns, of South River, who said he is “so happy to pass this test. It’s a big accomplishment for me. It’s something I needed in my life.”
He said that the only way to go from here “is up,” and he encouraged his fellow inmates to “stay focused” and “do the right thing.”
Miranda said his test score was “the best news he ever got” and he even woke up some of his fellow inmates to share the good news. He now intends to go to college, study immigration law and become an immigration consultant.
“From my own experience, I don’t like what people go through because they don’t know about the law or because they can’t afford a lawyer,” Fretz read from an essay Miranda wrote.
Erickson, 25, of North Brunswick, said he had wanted to pursue his GED for a long time. He said getting back into school-mode was “kind of awkward” at first but “after a while I got back into it.”
He said he wants to go to college to become a chemical engineer, something he has been wanting to do for the past few years.
“For some people this is about passing the time, but a lot of people do it because they want to do more when they leave. People, when they come here, see the way they were living was wrong and they want to do something to better themselves,” he said.
Overall, Cicchi said the program is designed in the hope of preventing inmates from returning to the facility once they are released. He said once they are given the tools and the ability to get a job, they will be less likely to return to their previous lifestyle.
“If guys get a job and earn money and are able to support their families, they are less likely to commit crime and get themselves locked up again,” he said.
Cicchi also said that the inmates develop relationships with the corrections officers, who provide support and encouragement throughout the course.
“People are people, they are human beings, and they want to be treated the way anyone else wants to be treated,” the warden said.
Eight other inmates who began the program retested last week and should have their results within a few weeks.
In addition, the corrections facility also offers English as a second language, computer applications, and life skills courses through vocational-technical school.
“We really feel when you stop learning, you stop living,” Cicchi said.
All of the educational programs are funded through the inmate trust account, so there are no costs to the county or county taxpayers.
“These classes are a prime example of the quality programs our vocationaltechnical schools offer our residents,” said Freeholder Ronald Rios, chairman of the county’s Public Health and Education Committee. “The county is committed to meeting the educational needs of our residents to help them reach their personal and professional goals.”