RAPID CITY, SD (KOTA) – Do people deserve second chances?

The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office has operated its IGNITE program for the past several years, helping inmates with their personal development and future after incarceration through education, substance abuse services and financial awareness.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the Pennington County Jail is the only jail in South Dakota to operate the Naturally and Intentionally Individual Growth Through Education or IGNITE program.

A teacher at the prison says they teach various classes to inmates, including math, and have just launched creative writing, literacy and life skills.

Through the life skills course, students learn budgeting, resume writing, taxes, and interviewing.

Through IGNITE, inmates can earn their GED and learn job skills while serving their sentences.

The teacher added that it is rewarding to participate in the transformation of her students.

“It’s monumental to see the person who started coming in and wasn’t sure about me and all the way, ‘We did it, thank you, we did it and here’s your GED.’ I hope everyone can experience something like this in their life,” said Mikayla Quenzer, a teacher at the Pennington County Jail.

One prison inmate says the program has been beneficial and will prepare him for the future.

“I know in the future, you know, one of my kids is going to ask me a question one day after school, ‘Hey, can you help me solve this problem.’ And I’m going to be the father to do it, and I’m going to take every step with them,” said an inmate participating in the Pennington County Jail’s IGNITE program.

Through the IGNITE program, the Sheriff’s Office wants to help reverse the generational cycle of incarceration through education.

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