Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


More news from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office about the IGNITE program.

A Harvard study about Genesee County Jail’s school initiative, IGNITE, is said to have reached a major milestone.

The paper, “Misconduct and Recidivism Effects of the IGNITE Program”, has been accepted by The Quarterly Journal of Economics and will be published in its May 2025 issue.

The Quarterly Journal of Economics is said to be one of the most prestigious journals in the field of economics and is known for its rigorous academic standards and international influence.

Marcella Alsan, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, said “We believe this publication is not only a reflection of our success in effective collaboration on evaluating the IGNITE program, but also a testament to the importance of IGNITE as a topic of great scholarly and policy interest”.

IGNITE’s (Inmate Growth Naturally & Intentionally Through Education) mission is to reverse the cycle of generational incarceration through education. By providing inmates with valuable job training, they are equipped with skills they can use upon release to gain meaningful employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending. IGNITE has been implemented in dozens of prisons and jails nationwide.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said “Not only are we reducing crime nationwide, we are building families together. We are giving people hope and keeping people alive. We are pouring into the workforce. It’s unlimited benefits by taking care of things at the grassroots level”.

In Genesee County, IGNITE has benefitted more than 3100 inmates through 259,000 hours of education. In its first 31 graduations, 81 high school GEDs (General Educational Development) were earned by inmates in the Genesee County Jail. A reduction in recidivism of 100 inmates would save Genesee County residents $560,000.

A link to the Harvard Law study is provided.