The DuPage County Jail in Wheaton launched a five-day-a-week education and job-training program for inmates on Sunday, Oct. 11. The sheriff's office says the facility is the first jail in Illinois to adopt the model.

The program, called I.G.N.I.T.E. (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education), is a partnership between the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, the Wheaton-based nonprofit JUST of DuPage and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA). Sheriff James Mendrick's office announced the launch in a press release calling it a historic step for the county's 1,032-bed facility at 501 N. County Farm Road.

Inmates will have access to GED classes, college courses, financial literacy instruction and vocational certifications, according to the sheriff's office. The curriculum builds on services JUST of DuPage already provides inside the jail, including addiction recovery, spiritual enrichment and reentry support.

"I believe that this will be a great partnership that will help a great deal of people," Mendrick said in a September statement to Patch when the program was first announced.

In that announcement, Mendrick described the effort as part of a "continuum of care" combining substance recovery, mental health services, counseling, education and job training.

I.G.N.I.T.E. was created by Genesee County, Michigan, Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson and launched at the Genesee County Jail in September 2020. The association adopted it as a nationwide initiative the following year. Summit County, Ohio, became the 34th U.S. county to adopt the program earlier in 2026, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

Researchers from Harvard, Brown University and the University of Michigan studied the program's effects. One month of participation reduced jail misconduct by 25% and cut the three-month recidivism rate by 24%, according to a study shared by the association.

The same study estimated a $7,285 reduction in the 12-month societal cost of crime per participant. On average, participants gained a full grade level in math and reading.

The program runs in repurposed jail spaces and is largely funded with existing county resources. Budget increases are "negligible," according to the study.

Meghan Beal, the association's I.G.N.I.T.E. director, is the national contact for jails seeking to adopt the model. The sheriff's press release credited Swanson for creating the program's blueprint and said the office aims to elevate JUST of DuPage's work "to a national level."

JUST of DuPage is a faith-based nonprofit that offers more than 20 self-help and recovery programs each week inside the DuPage County Correctional Facility. It also provides education, vocational training and reentry assistance.

No evaluation timeline has been set.