Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson is heading to England next month.

Swanson will do two presentations about IGNITE during the World Literacy Summit Apr. 6-9 at Oxford University.

The World Literacy Summit is an initiative of the World Literacy Foundation, which is a global nonprofit that works to ensure every young person, regardless of geographic location, has the opportunity to acquire literacy and reading skills.

Swinson will present “IGNITE from Incarceration to Education: The 21st Century’s Answer to a Global Crisis” at the Sheldonian Theatre on Apr. 7. He will host a breakout session called “IGNITE in Action: From VIsion to Implementation” on Apr. 8 at the South Writing School. Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Major Jason Gould will join Swanson during the second presentation.

IGNITE was started by Swanson to “reverse the cycle of generational incarceration through education.” Inmates are able to complete job training while in jail, which the Sheriff’s Office said reduces the likelihood of participants reoffending.

Reducing recidivism of 100 inmates would save residents of the county $560,000, according to the press release.

274,995 hours of education have been completed by more than 3,400 inmates in Genesee County alone through the program, which was started in 2020. 99 inmates received the equivalent of a high school diploma in the first 33 graduations.

“Misconduct and Recidivism Effects of the IGNITE Program,” a Harvard study about the program, is set to be published in the May issue of “The Quarterly Journal of Economics.”