Stearns County, M.N. – The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Steve Soyka announced that it will be starting a new jail program from the National Sheriffs’ Association, I.G.N.I.T.E. (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education), is a nation-wide jail initiative that prepares inmates for release and makes jails safer. The launch announcement and community event will be on March 27, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. in the Stearns County Board Room, 705 Courthouse Square, St. Cloud, Minnesota.
I.G.N.I.T.E. represents a significant step forward in Sheriff Soyka’s commitment to promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism among incarcerated individuals. The program aims to ignite positive change within the jail, setting inmates on a path toward a more productive and law-abiding future, which makes the community safer. This initiative is designed to provide inmates in the Stearns County Jail with the tools and support needed to foster personal growth, rehabilitation, and successful reintegration into society.
Sheriff Soyka emphasized the significance of the I.G.N.I.T.E. program, stating, “As we look for new ways to improve the rehabilitation process of our inmate population, we are excited to launch the I.G.N.I.T.E. program in our jail. The program will provide inmates with the tools, education, and opportunities to better themselves and become productive citizens.”
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, which will help them hone their interests and work toward employment after graduation. The program has enrolled thousands of students who have completed more than 200,000 classroom hours, logged more than 20,000 hours of coursework, and participated in more than 700 standardized tests.
“We are excited that Sheriff Soyka is taking on this important initiative,” said NSA Executive Director Jonathan Thompson. He continued, “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.”
About The National Sheriffs’ Association:
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. NSA is dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among sheriffs, their deputies, and others in the field of law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice. Throughout its eighty-one-year history, NSA has also served as an information resource for all law enforcement, as well as local, state, and federal government agencies.
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