Escambia County Corrections GED Program Helps Inmates Get a Fresh Start

For 33-year-old Catherine Dawson, her dream of being an author and a business owner once seemed completely out of reach. 

Now, Dawson is hopeful again after achieving another significant goal of hers: Earning a GED diploma while incarcerated at the Escambia County Jail. 

Having spent time in and out of jail since 2016, Dawson decided she was ready to focus on earning her GED and working to build a better life for herself and her children. The Escambia County Corrections Department offers a GED program to inmates in the Escambia County Jail, which can open up more opportunities after incarceration and help reduce recidivism rates. 

Dawson was recently recognized as a Jail GED Program graduate and received her diploma during a ceremony at the Escambia County Jail, celebrating her dedication to achieving educational goals.

"It's the most miraculous feeling when now every door that was closed to you, everything that you thought you couldn't achieve, is now possible," Dawson said. "Now I can be I can be a writer, I can be a business owner, I can be whatever – all the dreams that I had as a child are now possible. And even though I'm 33, I can still I can make my children proud."

The Escambia County Corrections Department has offered a GED program for many years and is a certified testing center through the Florida Department of Education. Last fiscal year, 29 students graduated from the GED program, with 324 students enrolled in the program and 179 tests administered. 

Escambia County Corrections Captain Shawn Hankins commended Dawson for working hard to earn her GED diploma, also emphasizing the importance of the GED program overall. 

"One of our goals is to provide programs like this that help individuals find a successful path forward after incarceration, which can help reduce the number of inmates who return to our jail," Capt. Hankins said. "I'm proud of Ms. Dawson and the many others in our GED program who have put in the hard work it takes to earn their diplomas and build a better life for themselves after incarceration."

Dawson emphasized the positive impact that Escambia County Corrections staff have made on her life, just by believing in her and encouraging her to continue pursuing her GED after she struggled to pass the math portion of the exam. She hopes to be released from jail after a court date in December, with plans to continue working toward her goal of being an author and a business owner in Escambia County. 

"Now I can actually work for a living," Dawson said. "I could still work for a living without my GED, but it would have been harder – and now I can have a career. I can be somebody. And that's the most phenomenal feeling in the world."

GED Program Instructor Rayshell Fairley presents Catherine Dawson with her GED diploma during a ceremony at the Escambia County Jail.

Catherine Dawson proudly displays her GED diploma.

Captain Shawn Hankins, GED Program Instructor Rayshell Fairley, Chaplain W.T. Leggett, and Lieutenant Sky Madison joined Felicia Greene and Catherine Dawson for a ceremony at the Escambia County Jail.

Felicia Greene (left) and Catherine Dawson (right) pictured with GED Program Instructor Rayshell Fairley after receiving their GED diplomas during a ceremony at the Escambia County Jail.