{"id":1707,"date":"2026-06-09T08:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1707"},"modified":"2026-06-09T08:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:03:19","slug":"ged-program-at-pima-county-jail-may-end-after-three-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1707","title":{"rendered":"GED program at Pima County jail may end after three decades"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A contract between the Pima County Sheriff\u2019s Department and Pima Community College that offers GED classes and other adult education services to incarcerated individuals at the Pima County Jail might be coming to an end this month after more than three decades.<\/p>\n

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said PCC is asking for $170,000 to run the program this year, $10,000 more than in years past.<\/p>\n

He said PCC has not given him data proving the program is worth spending that kind of money on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do I justify spending $170,000 and nobody got their GED?\u201d Nanos said.<\/p>\n

Nanos said new data from PCSD shows the program might not be as successful as he had thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in the sixth month this year, there\u2019s zero GEDs given out. Last year \u2013 one full year \u2013 one GED given out. I paid $160,000 for that one year,\u201d Nanos said.<\/p>\n

He attributed a lack of course completion to the fact that the average inmate spends 11 days in the facility, which does not provide enough time for the five tests necessary for a GED to be passed.<\/p>\n

Nanos said a contract renewal with PCC is not financially responsible, particularly amid recent budget issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to go through the couch cushions to look at every penny that is spent and be responsible for that money \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly what we did here,\u201d Nanos said.<\/p>\n

Laurie Kierstead-Joseph, PCC\u2019s vice chancellor for adult basic education, said within the past three years, around 700 inmates have taken at least some classes, with many passing some tests.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they get their high school equivalency diploma or if they\u2019re even just involved in adult basic ed classes like ours, there\u2019s a reduction in recidivism \u2013 I think the data says about a 43 percent reduction in recidivism for those folks,\u201d Kierstead-Joseph said.<\/p>\n

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Danny Howe, who was once incarcerated, said he earned his GED while in jail. He said it marked the start of him turning his life around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t get the traditional high school experience, so that GED really started that opportunity for me and now, because I have a college degree, it puts me in the running for some actual opportunities to make some good money,\u201d Howe said.<\/p>\n

He said continuing the program could save the county money.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not all gonna complete it, but if we help one, that makes it beneficial because that one person is gonna get out on the street and get a better job, which is gonna save money; he or she is not gonna re-offend,\u201d Howe said.<\/p>\n

Nanos said the program is not a good way to spend money from an inmate welfare fund, which is meant to cover all things any inmate might need while incarcerated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are benefits for all the inmates \u2013 not just 700 out of 30,000,\u201d Nanos said.<\/p>\n

The current contract is set to expire on June 30, so there is still time for it to be renewed.<\/p>\n

Both Nanos and Kierstead-Joseph said they are still willing to negotiate and try to figure out a way to keep the program running.<\/p>\n

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A contract between the Pima County Sheriff\u2019s Department and Pima Community College that offers GED classes and other adult education services to incarcerated individuals might be coming to an end this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nGED program at Pima County jail may end after three decades - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1707\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GED program at Pima County jail may end after three decades - 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