ALPENA — The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office has launched a new jail program, I.G.N.I.T.E., in partnership with the National Sheriffs’ Association which aims to prepare inmates for release and make jails safer.
The National Sheriffs’ Association I.G.N.I.T.E. (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education) program is a nationwide jail initiative and aims to create positive change within the jail, setting inmates on a path toward a more productive and law-abiding future.
This initiative is designed to provide inmates in the Alpena County Jail with the tools and support needed to foster personal growth, rehabilitation, and successful reintegration into society. The program started in Genesee County, Mich., under the leadership of Sheriff Chris Swanson.
“The IGNITE program highlights what a community can accomplish with a rehabilitation program to help inmates successfully reintegrate into society upon release and the goal of reducing recidivism,” Alpena Sheriff Erik Smith said.
Inmates enrolled in I.G.N.I.T.E. spend two hours a day, five days a week in class. They can access courses to earn credits toward a GED, take part in virtual reality to learn a skilled trade job or take enrichment courses in everything from American Sign Language to financial literacy, which will help them hone their interests and work toward employment after graduation.
“We are excited that Sheriff Smith is taking on this important initiative,” NSA Executive Director Jonathan Thompson said. “IGNITE makes it clear that sheriffs’ offices across the country are sending individuals in their jails back to their communities more equipped to lead productive lives.”
The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office is a smaller law enforcement agency. The Sheriff’s Office has been working on implementing this program for some time and has been working in partnership with Nicole Hatch from IRESA to bring the vision to life. The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office is the 19th site nationwide and the third site in Michigan to offer the IGNITE program.
The Sheriff’s Office hopes to break the cycle of incarceration and empower the participants to become self-sufficient, responsible, and law-abiding citizens upon reentry into society. By focusing on education and skill building, we believe that participants will have a greater chance of securing employment and leading productive lives.
NSA I.G.N.I.T.E. has also launched in: Hennepin County, Minnesota; Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; Sandusky County, Ohio; Cass County, North Dakota; Roanoke City, Virginia; Collin County, Texas; Pennington County, South Dakota; Bonneville County, Indiana; Iron County, Utah; Chautauqua and Ulster County, New York; Stearns County, Minnesota; Fayette County, Pennsylvania; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Greyson, Texas; and Blount and Montgomery Counties, Alabama.
In each county, it’s breaking the trend of generational incarceration throughout the country, while establishing education and rehabilitation as two main points of focus for the jail.
The National Sheriffs’ Association is one of the largest non-profit associations of law enforcement professionals in the United States, representing more than 3,000 elected sheriffs across the nation, and with a total membership of approximately 14,000 individuals.
The NSA is dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among sheriffs, their deputies and others in the fields of law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice. Throughout its 84-year history, the NSA has also served as an information resource for all law enforcement, as well as local, state, and federal government agencies.