How a New Program is Sparking Change in Ohio Jails

the ohio newsroom

A couple of years ago, the Sandusky County Jail was the first in Ohio to launch a program called IGNITE, which stands for Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally through Education. IGNITE started in 2020 at a county jail in Flint, Michigan. The sheriff there wanted to shift the jail’s culture and reduce the rate of people returning to jail. So they started offering courses to teach skills like financial literacy and parenting. Since then, the National Sheriff’s Association has adopted the program and has spread to more than 25 jails nationwide.