Nine incarcerated men at the Washtenaw County Jail now have high school diplomas or GED’s. They are the first graduates through a program with the Sheriff’s Office and the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.
The nine young men walked single file into the jail gymnasium as friends and family celebrated their accomplishment. The IGNITE program offers education, certification and other work training opportunities to people getting ready to reenter society.
Graduate Demitrius Henning says he’s looking forward to getting out and on with his life.
“We’ve been losing kids and teenagers too often to gun violence. It took for me to go through this to see this isn’t how I want to end my life or what I want my fate to be. So now, I’m strengthening my mind and working on a plan, so I don’t have to be 19, 20, 21 facing a long time in jail.”
After he’s released, Henning says he plans to attend Washtenaw Community College and study engineering.
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