Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone announces I.G.N.I.T.E. program for the County Jail (October 17, 2023)
Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone has announced a new program at the County Jail aimed at reducing recidivism in inmates.
The program is called I.G.N.I.T.E. which stands for “Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education.” It started in Genesee County, Michigan in 2020 and has now spread to nine states with Chautauqua County making New York State the tenth state in the program.
Quattrone said the main goal of the program is reduce recidivism by making participants self-sufficient, law-abiding citizens upon re-entry into society, “We’re going to look at education. Inmates will have access to a range of educational opportunities including basic literacy, numeracy courses, GED preparation, and vocational training. This will enable them to gain valuable skills for future employment. Life skills workshops.. the program will offer workshops on essential life skills such as communication, financial management, anger management, conflict resolutions.”
Quattrone said the program is a collaborative effort with the community. He said metrics will be used to track its success, “And we’re going to keep track of the program’s success by evaluation key metrics such as reduced recidivism rates, increased educational attainment, successful job placements, and improved post release outcomes. Long term successes will be determined by participants ability to reintegrate successfully into society.”
Genesee County Major Jason Gould, who was in attendance, said Harvard University, Brown University, and University of Michigan have been on site studying the results of the program at the Flint Correction Facility for the last 18 months and the results look good.
He said reading rates have gone up 3.86% and math rates have gone up 2.5% on standardized tests. Gould said that violence also has gone down in the facility, “So in Flint, Michigan we had in one year 350 assaults on another person whether that was on a corrections officer or it was on another resident… 350 in one year. We were fighting a lot and that was tough. I.G.N.I.T.E. started.. the very next year we had seven for the entire year. So, we calculate that to about a 97% decrease reduction in violence which has affected so many other things.”
Gould said that decrease in violence has led to better employee retention, lower workers compensation costs, and better risk management.
Quattrone said there would be no additional cost for the program and that he anticipates implementing it immediately.
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