Accelerated 2-week GED at North Kern State Prison helps inmates turn the page

KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KGPE) – It is back-to-school season in the Central Valley, but at North Kern State Prison, class is in session all year long.

Selected inmates can earn their GED through an accelerated two-week GED program. Since 2010, a CDCR spokesperson says around 2,500 inmates at North Kern State Prison have earned their GED.

Inside Mr. Cross’s classroom at the prison, fractions cover the old school whiteboard.

“There is always a right answer; there is no gray areas. There is always right and wrong,” Cross said when asked what he enjoyed about math.

Instead of high school students in the seats, inmates of all ages, from various areas of California, line the rows.

Less than a dozen inmates are in each classroom at a time. Each one is investing their time into the program with t