Fayette County is the first in Pennsylvania to introduce the groundbreaking program aimed at reducing recidivism and rehabilitating inmates.
Uniontown, PA - The new Fayette County Jail is the first corrections facility in Pennsylvania to launch the National Sheriffs’ Association’s (NSA) I.G.N.I.T.E. Program.
A national initiative aimed at rehabilitating inmates and reducing recidivism, I.G.N.I.T.E. stands for “Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education.”
Fayette County Sheriff James Custer, along with Warden John Lenkey, Deputy Warden Angela Kern and NSA representatives, held a ceremony marking the historic launch Thursday, at the jail on McClellandtown Road in Uniontown.
Custer said the program launching less than six weeks after the new jail officially opened makes this “an exciting time” for Fayette County.
“I hope we can be a model facility and more county jails across Pennsylvania will become a part of I.G.N.I.T.E. I’m looking forward to many things, but I want to see how the inmates become engaged with the different components of the program and monitor their progress from there,” Custer said. “I’m also looking forward to the long-term results of the program, which is ending generational incarceration and reducing recidivism in Fayette County.”
Founded in Genesee County, Mich., by Sheriff Chris Swanson, the program offers classes to enrolled inmates two hours per day, five days per week, in which they can work toward a variety of goals, including:
- Earning credits toward a General Educational Development (GED) diploma;
- Learn a skilled trade via virtual reality;
- Completing enrichment courses in a myriad of subjects, from American Sign Language to financial literacy;
- And much more.
Since its original launch, I.G.N.I.T.E. has seen thousands of students complete more than 200,000 classroom hours, log more than 20,000 hours of coursework, and participate in more than 700 standardized tests nationwide.
NSA Executive Director Jonathan Thompson said he’s excited Custer and Fayette County officials are “taking on this important initiative.”
“I.G.N.I.T.E. 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,” Thompson said.
In addition to Custer, Lenkey and Kern, Thursday’s ceremony included remarks from Bishop TD Holden of Bishop TD Holden Ministries; Meghan Beal of the National Sheriffs’ Association; Sheriff Sammuel Hulse of Bonneville County, Idaho; Maj. Jason Gould of Genesee County, Mich.; Percy Glover, Genesee County, Mich., community engagement co-executive director; and Pa. Dept. of Corrections Secretary Laurel Harry.
Refreshments were provided by Keefe Commissary Group, and program partners include A Child’s Place; Penn State Fayette; WVU Medicine – Uniontown Hospital; One Voice, One Community; United Bank; Steratore Sanitary Supply; and Summit Food Sources. Recognition and thanks were extended to Beal, the NSA I.G.N.I.T.E. “family” and Claire McNally.
“I believe this program will provide the inmates with the education, vocational training and life skills to help them successfully reintegrate into society upon release, which – in turn – will make our communities safer,” Custer said.
To learn more about the National Sheriffs’ Association’s I.G.N.I.T.E. Program, visit www.sheriffs.org/ignite. To learn more about the Fayette County Jail, visit https://fayettecountypa.org/797/Fayette-County-Prison-Project.
To learn more about Fayette County, visit www.fayettecountypa.org.
Editor's Note: Photos attached (Fayette County I.G.N.I.T.E. Launch; Fayette County I.G.N.I.T.E. Launch2; Fayette County I.G.N.I.T.E. Launch3)
Fayette County I.G.N.I.T.E. Launch Caption: Back row, from left; Sandusky County, Ohio Sheriff Chris Hilton; Genesee County, Mich. Co-Executive Director of Community Engagement Percy Glover; Bishop TD Holden of Bishop TD Holden Ministries Come Out Stay Out; Chautauqua County, N.Y.; Sheriff James Quattrone; and Fayette County Deputy Warden Angela Kern. Front row, from left; Claire McNally and Meghan Beal of the National Sheriffs’ Association; Genesee County, Mich. Major Jason Gould; Fayette County Sheriff James Custer; Fayette County Warden John Lenkey; and Bonneville County, Idaho Sheriff Sammuel Hulse.
###
This communication, among other initiatives, is funded through the 2016 Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.
For more information, contact Kristi Kassimer Harper, Public Relations Specialist, at 724-437-4571, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Kaylie Glaze, Community Relations Coordinator, at 724-430-1200 Ext. 1611, kmoore@fayettepa.org.
