Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) recently celebrated multiple graduations in May and August.
Seventy-four recipients of degrees and certificates ranging from college programs to GEDs and high school diplomas celebrated their accomplishments. Meanwhile, 400 graduated from substance use disorder programs.
As one of California’s only complete Level IV 180 institutions, facilitating rehabilitation programs comes with many challenges, such as how to help those who want to better themselves while dealing with the few who do not.
“Each year, I look forward to graduation week when we celebrate our incarcerated students. Every opportunity can be provided to an individual, however, each individual has to make that decision to want to finish. The graduating class of 2023 made that personal decision. All of these accomplishments were made possible with the assistance of incredible staff behind the scenes,” said Principal S. Hoffman, Kern Valley Adult School.
The KVSP Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT) program also celebrated over four-hundred incarcerated persons who participated in multiple graduations in May as part of the Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBI) program.
Family and friends were able to attend and be a part of all of these celebrations.
By Lt. John Melvin, AA/PIO
Kern Valley State Prison
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