A new study co-authored by Professor Crystal S. Yang of Harvard Law School and Professor Marcella Alsan of the Harvard Kennedy School finds that an educational program at a county jail in Flint, Michigan, reduces recidivism, misconduct, and the harms of incarceration. It is said to have decreased significantly. 99.
Started in 2020 by Genesee County Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson, the Natural and Intentional Growth of Inmates Through Education program provides corrections officers with daily personal training for people incarcerated at the Genesee County Jail in Flint. We provide comprehensive education.
The study found that one month of participation in the program reduced post-release recidivism by 18 percent in three months and 23 percent in one year, and participants improved across grade levels in reading and math. It turns out. The program also reduced violence and improved perceptions of law enforcement officers, even while participants were incarcerated.
“The results are really surprising,” said Peter Hull, a professor of economics at Brown University and one of the study's co-authors.
Alsan first learned about the program when he met Megan Beal, a project manager for the National Sheriff's Association, according to an emailed statement from the study's co-authors. Beal, who is working to expand IGNITE to prisons across the country, agreed to let Alsan and other researchers study the program in Flint.
“This provided an opportunity for scholars to draw inspiration from those in the field conducting research and seeking assistance in evaluations,” the authors write. “As social scientists, our ‘constituents’ include people like sheriffs and incarcerated people.”
The study had a “dream team of academics” to evaluate the IGNITE program, including Archie Barnett, a Ph.D. in economics, the statement said. A University of Michigan student with relatives who have experienced incarceration and systemic discrimination.
Hull said in an interview that the U.S. approach to incarceration focuses on punitive initiatives rather than the rehabilitation model favored by countries such as Norway. He said the findings support the idea that a rehabilitative approach should be introduced into the U.S. criminal justice system.
“I'm very encouraged by the work being done in Flint,” Hull said.
Overall, the researchers say, IGNITE brings improvements to society, with just one extra month of participation in the program reducing the “social costs” of offending after release by $5,600 per person per year .
Hull said this study suggests IGNITE may be effective for individuals from a variety of educational backgrounds.
“A surprising finding from the evaluation of IGNITE was how broadly IGNITE functions among many different populations,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers said their study found the potential to leverage education to implement rehabilitation practices in cancer systems.
“Education is used as a means to change the job description of detention staff and provide hope and dignity to incarcerated people,” the researchers wrote.
“Our initial study is a proof of concept, and we look forward to digging deeper in the near future,” they added.
