Robert’s Story
Robert just celebrated his 32nd birthday as he waits for his trial in the Corner Bend County Jail. He admits that jail is not as depressing as it used to be. He knows, as he has seen a few. The Corner Bend County Jail launched a new program this year where Robert can take classes to prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) test. In fact, the second set of students in the 4-month-long program will graduate this week.
Robert looks forward to the classes. He thinks it will help him get out of jail and put his mind into something different. It is a cool program because it is at a jail. He has heard about GED programs in prisons, but not in county jails. He is lucky that Corner Bend County has a program. Since he is waiting for trial instead of serving out a sentence, he knows it is hard to keep a GED program going in a county jail. Guys are coming and going all the time.
For Robert the toughest part of jail is that he gets depressed and worries a lot. He is not convicted on anything yet, but he worries about his family. Robert’s mom is in poor health with diabetes and high blood pressure. His dad’s health is not too good either. His younger sister just got out of college and lives across state. So, mom and dad are alone. He has a big problem making fast money. He has a lot of dope cases, a gun case, and an aggravated case. He did not have much of a childhood. He can remember getting his first car early in his junior year of high school. Once Robert got his car, he stopped going to school.
Robert is pretty smart. He even sometimes corrects the teacher. He has a good mind for fractions and percentages. He also started writing a book of short stories. He always liked reading and making up people who have had hard times and then succeed. His favorite part of class is going up to the white board to work out a problem. It can be tough being at the white board. When the answer comes to him, he just breathes a big sigh of relief. He just feels so proud. He doesn’t want to sit back down. When the teacher tells Robert to take his seat, he just wants to stay up there and work out another problem.
Robert hopes that a GED will be the first step to something better when he finally gets out. Robert stays in his cell. He doesn’t deal with people. He comes out, talks a little bit, watches TV and then goes back to his cell and starts studying or works on a short story. He tries to stay so focused.
In the classroom, Robert sits behind a computer. His computer skills are improving. He wishes he had access to the Internet, but he gets why he doesn’t. Robert thinks that he is a pretty good student. He wants to learn. It is his first uninterrupted shot at high school in a real long time.
Robert doesn’t want to be a statistic. The class helps keep him straight. If you steal, fight, or cause problems, you get expelled. Robert knows one of the teachers has a friend who works with Goodwill Industries. He can help him get a job across the city once he is released.
When he looks around the classroom, he sees a lot of guys who haven’t had success in their life for whatever reason. A GED certificate is something that he can hold in his hand that shows he has had success. There’s nothing like success.