In a questionnaire survey completed by 362 inmates of the Sacramento County (Calif.) jail in December 1982, a majority ranked the GED/High School progran 18th out of 42 activity selections. Scores for all educational variables -- GED, Bible study, poetry workshop, writing workshop, and reading -- indicated that most inmates, regardless of age, race, and length of time in jail would participate in some type of educational activity. The existing GED programs in correctional institutions are standarized, group participatory, and based on a set format which is not appropriate for the short-term, fluctuating jail setting. In contrast, the EEP, combined with the Positive Indirect Education Approach, is designed to identify an inmate's educational deficiencies and systematically improve each skill at the inmate's own pace of learning. The EEP does not substitute for the GED, but fills a special educational need and will improve an inmate's chances for later participation in a GED program. The EEP includes optional programs such as self-esteem building and job preparedness. Visual aids, behavior modification techniques, and staff praise are important elements. The EEP method tailors training materials to seven skill areas: writing, reading comprehension, spelling, math, speech communications, sentence formulation, and reading. The community can supply technical assistance, materials, and teaching staff for a jail EEP. Diagrams and six references are supplied.