Caregiving for the Caregiver

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I.G.N.I.T.E., INMATE GROWTH NATURALLY AND INTENTIONALLY THROUGH EDUCATION.

DEEP-FRIED os

t i r r u b

BY NICOLE WEDDINGTON

Leon Mize is his name. He is middle-aged with kids, drives an older model G.M. car, and makes a vicious deep-fried burrito.

On the surface, Mize is just like you and me. Except for one small detail—he’s a convicted felon. In total, he’s been locked up for more than a decade, with his last 21 months confined to the Genesee County Jail. He came in hopeless, helpless and hungry, with only one thing to look forward to—his out date.

With little to no lifestyle changes, their behavior remains status quo until they come back to jail.

Not anymore! Under Sheriff Chris Swanson’s leadership, Genesee County Jail has expanded its education program in collaboration with Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools. Now, when inmates come to the Genesee County Jail, they are classified

Mize represents the 70 million Americans currently serving or have served time in our jails and prisons throughout the nation. In Michigan alone, the Michigan Department of Corrections spends over $2.2 billion on housing inmates in prison, which doesn’t even include the $32.00/day/unaltered we pay in the 83 county jails across the state. We MUST do better! And here’s how: I.G.N.I.T.E., Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education. In the “historical” model, when inmates are in jail, they are classified by their charges, risk factors and length of stay. From there, they give back to society the only penitence they have—time.

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INSIGHTFUL, MOTIVATIONAL & INSPIRATIONAL


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