(CENTREVILLE) - The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office is starting a new program.
The Sheriff's Office is launching I.G.N.I.T.E, or Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education at the St. Joseph County Jail starting October 1st.
I.G.N.I.T.E. will build on educational and other programming already offered at the jail. It will give inmates who choose to participate an opportunity to work on education, job skills, personal responsibility and other areas that can better prepare them for their return to the community.
Sheriff Chad Spence says the program does not change the Sheriff's Office's commitment to enforcing the law, protecting the public and holding people accountable for their actions.
Most people housed in the county jail will eventually return to the community, and the time they spend in jail can also be used to help prepare them to make better choices when they leave.
Spence says he has seen the value of these opportunities through his own experience teaching inmates in the jail. He says his experience teaching in the jail showed him that there are people who truly want to make a change.
I.G.N.I.T.E. uses a merit-based approach that requires participants to put forth the effort and take responsibility for their progress. The Sheriff's Office is already working with Michigan Works! and Glen Oaks Community College to provide education, employment resources and other opportunities for participants.
As the program grows, the Sheriff's Office hopes to work with additional local businesses, educators, skilled trades, organizations and volunteers who can bring useful resources and opportunities into the jail.
The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office will officially launch the program on October 1 from 11 AM to 12 PM at the Sheriff's Office Training Center, 602 East Main Street in Centreville.