Research has shown us that one of the most effective ways to prevent someone from committing a crime is to give them the means to advance their lives the right way.

Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith is doing just that with a new program for longer-term inmates at the Alpena County Jail.

Smith has brought a National Sheriff’s Association program called Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education, or IGNITE, to the jail, allowing longer-term inmates to work on their general equivalency diploma while behind bars.

Having a GED makes the inmate more employable when they get out of jail. That makes it easier to transition back into society and gives them more means to support themselves without turning to a life of crime, hopefully preventing recidivism.

That makes the community safer, Smith told News staff writer Steve Schulwitz for a recent story.

We wholeheartedly support Smith’s efforts on that front.

IGNITE sounds like a fabulous program, both for the inmates and the community at large, and we look forward to seeing what it does for the jail population and for public safety in the future.

Kudos to Smith and his team for bringing the program to Alpena.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)