(a) The commissioner shall maintain an educational program within the state prison system to assist inmates in achieving at least a fifth-grade level on standardized reading tests. Inmates who test below the fifth-grade level and who have been sentenced to incarceration for a period of one year or longer shall be required by institutional staff to attend appropriate classes until they attain this level or until they are released from incarceration, whichever event occurs first; provided, however, that inmates who have remained in the educational program for 90 school days may voluntarily withdraw thereafter. The commissioner or his or her designee shall have the discretion to exclude certain inmates from the provisions of this subsection due to the inability of such inmates to benefit from an educational program for reasons which may include: custody status, particularly of those inmates under a death sentence; mental handicap or physical illness; participation in a boot camp program; or possession of a general education diploma or high school diploma. The State Board of Pardons and Paroles shall incorporate satisfactory participation in such an educational program into the parole guidelines adopted pursuant to Code Section 42-9-40.

(b) For the purposes of this Code section, educational programming shall not apply to inmates who:

(1) Have been sentenced to death;

(2) Have attained 50 years of age; or

(3) Have serious learning disabilities.

(c) The commissioner shall provide additional educational programs in which inmates can voluntarily participate to further their education beyond the fifth-grade level.

(d) The commissioner shall utilize available services and programs within the Department of Education, and the Department of Education shall cooperate with the commissioner in the establishment of educational programs and the testing of inmates as required in this Code section.

(e) When a person is released from confinement from the department, the department shall, upon request from an eligible person, who is not an illegal alien as defined in Code Section 16-11-201, provide such person with the relevant documentation to assist him or her in obtaining post-release employment and shall coordinate with the Department of Driver Services to provide a state issued identification card pursuant to Code Section 40-5-107 if such person does not have a current state issued identification card or driver’s license. The department may also include a Program and Treatment Completion Certificate, if such person is eligible.

(f) For purposes of assisting an inmate in obtaining post-release employment, the department shall, upon request from an eligible person, provide the inmate with the following documentation upon such person’s release:

(1) A copy of the vocational training record of the inmate, if applicable;

(2) A copy of the work record of the inmate, if applicable;

(3) A certified copy of the birth certificate of the inmate, if obtainable;

(4) A social security card or a replacement social security card for the inmate, if obtainable;

(5) A resume that includes any trade learned by the inmate and such inmate’s proficiency at such trade;

(6) Documentation that the inmate has completed a practice job interview; and

(7) A notification to the inmate if he or she is eligible to apply for a license from a state entity charged with oversight of an occupational license or certification.

(g) The following categories of inmates are not required to complete resumes or practice job interviews prior to their release from incarceration:

(1) Inmates 65 years of age or older;

(2) Inmates releasing to medical reprieve or discharging from a prison infirmary setting;

(3) Inmates releasing to the custody of another jurisdiction on a warrant or detainer; and

(4) Inmates that the department determines would be physically or mentally unable to return to the workforce upon release from incarceration.

(h) The commissioner and other relevant state agencies shall be authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this Code section.