IGNITE Program
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office officially launched a new jail rehabilitation program on Wednesday known as IGNITE at a ceremony held in the Stearns County Board Room in St. Cloud. IGNITE stands for Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education.
IGNITE is a program of the National Sheriff’s Association and represents a significant step toward promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism amongst the inmate population. The program is designed around the inmates’ needs and provides inmates with the tools and support needed to foster personal growth, rehabilitation, and ultimately successful reintegration into society.
Sheriff Steve Soyka says this is the opportunity for them to take what they’re already doing, formalize it, and deliver it in a way that will be most impactful for their inmate population. He says this is also their chance to look at the future of corrections and how they can assist their inmates to reduce the chances that they come back; and this will give them a chance, upon release, to make better decisions, be better, and do better.
The program takes on different roles for different inmates and provides spiritual, educational, recovery, and self-assessment tools to help inmates prepare for release and to become better members of society. The ceremony included comments from Hennepin County Sheriff Witt, National Sheriff’s Association representative Jessica Vanderpool, and Stearns County Commissioner Board Chair Tarryl Clark. The program, which is voluntary for inmates, will begin rolling out in April 2024 and is only one of two within Minnesota with the other being Hennepin County. The program is currently being utilized in 13 other states.