By Grace Jacobson / News Director

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Steve Soyka announced Friday that they’ll be starting a new jail program from the National Sheriffs’ Association.

The program called I.G.N.I.T.E. (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education) is a nation-wide jail initiative that prepares inmates for release and makes jails safer. It aims to ignite positive change within the jail, setting inmates on a path toward a more productive and law-abiding future, which makes the community safer.

Inmates enrolled in I.G.N.I.T.E. can take courses to earn credits toward a GED, take part in virtual reality to learn a skilled trade job or take enrichment courses, which will help them hone their interests and work toward employment after graduation.

The program’s official launch will happen Wednesday, March 27 during a community event at the Stearns County Courthouse.