Milwaukee County Jail launches I.G.N.I.T.E. program to reduce repeat offenses Milwaukee County Jail has introduced the I.G.N.I.T.E. program, aiming to lower recidivism rates by providing inmates with education, job, and life skills training.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department has launched the Inmates Growing Naturally and Intentionally Through Education program, or I.G.N.I.T.E., to reduce recidivism by providing education and skills training.

 We're looking looking to change the trajectory that they're currently on and give them a more positive outlook, as well as to interrupt that generational incarceration that we're seeing, and also, ultimately with the goal of reducing recidivism ,  Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball said.


A recent report from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections shows Milwaukee County has a rearrest rate of nearly 53% and a reconviction rate of 37%.

Ball said the program aims to lower these numbers by providing inmates with education, job training, and life skills.

 We're partnering with our local colleges and universities as well as MPS, because we know some people have not received their high school diploma or GED,  Ball said.

The program has been three years in the making, with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office working with law enforcement agencies in Virginia and North Carolina that already use the program.

 I think it's a program that is worthwhile. We launched it today. This is a soft launch. It's going to continue to build upon the program. We're going to continue to steal ideas from our colleagues and make it better,  the sheriff said.

Any inmate is eligible for the program if they choose to enroll. Milwaukee County now joins more than 30 other counties across the country in offering the I.G.N.I.T.E. program.

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