BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The Wood County Sheriff’s Office is introducing a new inmate rehabilitation initiative called IGNITE, a program focused on education, job readiness and personal growth for individuals housed in the county jail.

Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn announced that the program officially launched this week, making Wood County one of four counties across Ohio implementing the nationally recognized model.

The IGNITE program first began in Genesee County, Michigan, home to Flint, under Sheriff Chris Swanson, who designed it to use positive reinforcement and skill-building to reduce repeat offenses.

The model has since spread across several states and has been adopted by the National Sheriffs’ Association as a recommended approach to inmate rehabilitation.

“It’s basically positive r

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