ACHIEVEMENT BEHIND BARS; CASTAIC INMATES RECEIVE DIPLOMAS.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer Steven Martinez has been in and out of jail for half his 36 years - drugs and violence shaping his future from a young age. So at a time when many adults are seeing their own children graduate from high school, Martinez received a diploma of his own. He was among 20 jail inmates who received a diploma or vocational certificate Thursday during a 90-minute ceremony Thursday at the North County Correctional Facility North County Correctional Facility (NCCF) is a Los Angeles County Jail, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Located approximately 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, it is one of four jails located within the Pitchess Detention Center (named after former , where he is serving time for abusing his girlfriend. ``I never thought I could accomplish anything else because drugs and trouble were all I'd ever known. I've been in and out of jail for 18 years, so getting this diploma even surprised me,'' Martinez said. More than two decades ago, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. was among the first in the nation to envision a comprehensive and fully functional, accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. education program for county jail inmates, said Deputy Jim Helmod. The goals included offering a program with uniform performance standards as well as a curriculum that retained instructional continuity for all inmates. So in 1973, the adult division of the Hacienda hacienda also called estancia (Argentina and Uruguay) or fazenda (Brazil) In Latin America, a large landed estate. The hacienda originated in the colonial period and survived into the 20th century. La Puenta Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. was selected to be the educational service provider for the program. ``It has been a very successful program,'' said Bob Pash pash n. Slang 1. A romantic infatuation: "She develops a sudden pash for Richard ... a widower with a ... son" Los Angeles Times. 2. , chief of custody divisions at the Castaic jail. ``We found that 90 percent of those who participate in the program don't return to jail.'' The ceremony was held in the jail chaplain's office and attended by several sheriff's officials, instructors and school board members. After receiving his diploma, Martinez read a descriptive poem about his life. ``My criminal mind is one of a kind,'' he said. ``It often causes me to do time. My criminal mind is really no friend of mine. The criminal mind, is there a cure? If there is an antidote, I know that my lord is the only hope.'' Larry Fischer, Jose Rodriguez The name José Rodríguez or Jose Rodriguez may refer to:
``This will open a lot of doors for me to advance socially and possibly economically,'' Fischer said. ``It's definitely a positive step.'' During Thursday's ceremony, general equivalency diplomas were given to five other inmates who vowed to continue to pursue a conventional diploma. Several English as a second language and vocational certificates also were handed out. The program is funded by a $5.5 million annual grant from Gov. Pete Wilson For others named Pete Wilson, see . Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. Wilson served as the thirty-sixth Governor of California (1991–1999), the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that and $2.2 million from the Inmate Welfare Fund. Pash said records indicate that more than 230,000 inmates are booked into the county's eight independent jail facilities each year and approximately 150,000 inmates utilize the instructional services. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Jail inmate Larry Fischer accepts a high school diploma in a ceremony Thursday at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. (2--Color) L.A. County jail inmates wait to receive diplomas and vocational certificates Thursday. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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