As Taylor Boguef put on her navy blue cap and gown in a corridor of the La Plata County Jail on Thursday, she was a mix of nerves and excitement.
Graduating with a GED does not happen every day, even in prison. It marked a milestone for Boguef that promised opportunity and a better life when she is eventually released.
Together with jail personnel, her Durango Adult Ed tutors JoAnn Smotherman and David Scott, and her fellow inmates, Boguef was played “Pomp and Circumstance” through a portable speaker and was given her diploma by La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Gary Boudreau. Once the two had shaken hands, Boguef was greeted with applause from her fellow inmates, and chocolate cake was served on paper plates.
“It was a little nerve-wracking at first,” Boguef said. “You have doubts and stuff, but toward the end I was able to feel a lot better and more positive about it. This is something that I’ve been working on since 2022. So I’m glad that this experience has allowed me to grow and be a better person and get an education.”
Boguef said she intends to attend college when she is released.
Smotherman, who had been working with Boguef on-and-off since 2022, said the GED tests in multiple subjects that equate to an 11th grade education.
“There are four GED tests: science, math, social studies, and reading and language arts,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman said Boguef was her first inmate to complete the program, and that several other women being held are close to completing their GEDs.
She has been incarcerated since February, and in that time she worked to complete her education, Boudreau said. Helping incarcerated individuals receive an education reduces the risk that they will return to prison and helps them prepare to reintegrate into society after their release, he said.
“We've had approximately 30 (graduate) since we started this program, very few of them have come back,” he said.
According to a report by the Center for American Progress, these types of education programs reduce the risk of a person returning to prison by 43%.
“In addition to reducing recidivism, education can improve outcomes from one generation to the next,” the report said. “Research shows that children with parents with college degrees are more likely to complete college, which can create social mobility for families.”
All in all, the report said, educating inmates is a net-positive for society. It sets them up to apply for good jobs when they leave jail and allows them to pursue college.
Scott, who also works with Durango Adult Ed, said that depending on how inmates perform on their GED tests, they can either apply to a four-year college degree or an associates program.
Boguef's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5. No matter what happens at that hearing, she said she has grown closer to her cellmates and is grateful for the chance to learn.
“There are some really cool women in here that I’ve met, so I’m just very thankful that I get to have them as a part of my graduation,” Boguef said. “I’m prepared, and I’m just super thankful that I get to have this experience. This is a real good experience.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
