Education program helps people get there lives back in order
Inmate grateful for chance to learn
The Times-Picayune
Friday, January 18, 2008
By Laura Maggi
When Michelle Lopez “rolled out” of jail in April, she was just two days shy of taking the GED exam at the alternative school set up in the South White Street facility that houses female inmates awaiting trial at Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
After she was arrested again in December on a prostitution charge, Lopez, 33, thought that at least she would have a second chance to take the test. A crack addict constantly drawn back to the streets, Lopez said she is ready to change her life when she next finds herself on the outside. She said she wants to get help to quit drugs and wants to use a GED to get a job.
“I love to get high. That is one of my biggest problems,” said Lopez, who added that she is working with a social worker to find someplace to go when she gets out of jail this time. …
Lopez is one of 280 students in New Orleans jails studying for the GED or attending basic literacy classes to prepare for the high school equivalency exam, said William Delaney, principal of the Alternative Learning Center, at a Wednesday open house for the program.
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