ROCHESTER N.Y.(WROC) — A Rochester-based company is now helping inmates across the country get their GED.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 610,000 people are released from state and federal prisons each year and roughly 20,000 from New York State alone. Studies show a high school education greatly reduces the risk of returning.
Now, a Rochester-based company known as CypherWorx has partnered with ViaPath Technologies to get more inmates educated.
CypherWorx has been around for a decade and has grown to employ more than 30 people in the Rochester area and provides training to more than a million people every year through education services and learning throughout a variety of industries. Now, inmates in hundreds of prisons are using their services to get their GED.
CypherWorx CEO Paul Cypher said the goal is to ensure those going back into their communities are fully equipped with what they need to succeed.
“We want to end recidivism. We want to make sure the people are reintegrated into society, can reenter society, and become successful when they come back into society and so to do that one of the ways is to make sure that they get the training and professional development that they need to grow and learn and get a job when they get out,” said Cypher.
CypherWorx’s services are being offered on tablets through a system ViaPath has already set up in prisons.
Tony Lowden with ViaPath said that, while GED education has been offered to inmates for years, this makes the process a lot easier.
“We have an opportunity to be intentional with our technology to truly correct people so they can go home and be better and more importantly to look at ways of taking a holistic approach of helping men and women come home in our prisons to be better and make our community safer,” said Lowden.
Lowden explained what makes this extra unique is that someone can continue to use this service after they get out and their family can participate as well.
Services that might impact people all over the U.S., were created and sent out from the Rochester area. To learn more about how to get your friend or loved one involved visit the website here.