Essex County JV Detention Center Graduates 2015 High School Class

French author Victor Hugo once said that “he who opens a school door closes a prison.”

In June, 22 young men from the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark opened doors of their own when they graduated from Sojurn High School, an alternative education program that allows middle and high school students to continue their education while in the custody of the state.

For 2015, nine students earned their high school diplomas, and 13 students earned their GEDs. Each graduate also received a citation from U.S. Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.

The class of 2015 included 21 students from Essex County and one from Passaic County.

One of the graduates – “JT” – has been accepted to Hudson County Community College and will be pursuing a degree in culinary arts in the fall.

“Being here motivated me and, when I wanted to quit, the teachers and staff didn’t let me,” he said during a June 25 graduation ceremony.

• See related article: Essex County Juvenile Detention Center Named ‘Facility of the Year’

“This place has come a long way in the last 13 years,” said Citizen Services Director Anibal Ramos, Jr. “I want to extend my sincere congratulations to the graduates today. It is not the mistakes and missteps we make in life that define us, it is how we learn from those experiences and move forward.”

According to Essex County officials:

• The Essex County Juvenile Detention Center has an 8,000 book library on site and is the only detention facility in the state to offer a full 6.5 hour school day for detainees.
• The SHS curriculum is based on the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and the student’s Individual Program Plan or Individual Educational Program.
• The center worked with the Essex Regional Education Services Commission to begin offering college level courses to students through SHS in January of 2010.