The office of Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens announced that the General Education Development (GED) test was administered to detainees at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center for the first time.

The project was done in partnership with CobbWorks and the Cobb County School District. CobbWorks provided grant money and the Cobb County School District was contracted to bring a mobile testing unit to the ADC.

Previously, Cobb County ADC detainees were transported to other jails in the metro area for testing.

“It took four months of hard work and coordination to ensure our detainees had the proper documentation needed to get funding for the test and to ensure rigorous site standards at the jail were met,” said Capt. Yaminah Holt, who oversees detainee programming at the county jail. “I’m happy to announce that one of our detainees passed the first onsite GED test this week.”

According to the public information release from the Sheriff’s Office, “Having onsite testing improves operational efficiency by eliminating the costs to transport detainees. Additionally, detainees are able to test in a familiar environment, which can reduce testing day nervousness.”

“Sheriff Owens is committed to helping Cobb detainees make the most use of their time while in our custody so they can be more productive once they get out of jail,” said Holt. 

Testing for a GED is available at the Cobb Country Adult Detention Center every Tuesday when there are detainees ready to take the test.

Obtaining a GED can benefit individuals with higher earning potential and less risk of unemployment.

The public information release described the three participating organizations in the project as follows:

About the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office: The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is a law enforcement agency that executes a broad range of services which include but are not limited to Jail Operations, Court Security, Criminal Warrant Execution, Civil Process Service, Mental Health Transports, Forgery/Fraud Investigation, and Fugitive Investigation and Apprehension. Sheriff Craig Owens took over the office on Jan. 1, 2021, and leads a staff of more than 800 deputies and civilians. Under his leadership, the Sheriff’s Office has the most diverse command staff in its nearly 200-year history and is on the path to becoming the best law enforcement agency in the State of Georgia. To learn more about the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, visit https://www.cobbsheriff.org/. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Download the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office App!

About CobbWorks:  As Cobb County’s American Job Center, CobbWorks provides access to a system of employment and education services for our community. In an increasingly complex workforce and economy, people sometimes need guidance and assistance in managing their career development, particularly when challenged with 

About Cobb County School District: The Cobb County School District (CCSD) is the second-largest school system in Georgia and the 25th-largest in the nation. It serves 106,703 students with 112 schools, including 66 elementary schools, 26 middle schools, 17 high schools, one charter school, one special education center, and one adult education center.