This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A record-high number of state inmates — 360 men and women — received high school diplomas Wednesday in a graduation ceremony at the Utah State Prison in Draper.

Another 140 inmates at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison will graduate from high school programs later this month. The Utah Department of Corrections coordinates with the Canyons School District in Draper and South Sanpete School District in Gunnison to provide high school equivalency programs.

Various county jails that house state inmates also work with local school districts to provide such programs. Inmates who participate in educational programs while incarcerated are 20 percent less likely to re-offend, according to a 2012 analysis by the Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.