Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner, right, with Sheriff Chris Swanson of Genesee County, Michigan. Swanson developed the IGNITE program for inmates in 2020.
Sheriff Jim Skinner wants to reduce recidivism rates among Collin County jail inmates by offering a program where they can learn better life skills, improve their education and learn a trade.
“Too often, we see generations of a family stuck in that vicious cycle of incarceration, release and recidivism,” Skinner said at the April 12 meeting held at the Collin County Detention Center.
The sheriff announced to those in attendance his commitment to adopt a program called IGNITE, or Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education, which has been implemented in other states and has proven successful in educating inmates before being released from county jails.
Skinner said he first learned about the program from its founder, Sheriff Chris Swanson, at a meeting last summer of the National Sheriffs Association, a nonprofit that represents 3086 sheriffs across the U.S.
Swanson started the program in the Genesee County Jail in Michigan in 2020, and since then, he’s reported success in terms of reducing conflicts and improving re-entry opportunities.
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