ROANOKE, Va. – Making the Roanoke City Jail a place of transformation – on Tuesday, the Roanoke City Sheriff unveiled a new program he hopes can do just that.
The Sheriff said the keys to success are changing people’s mindsets and cultures.
During the ribbon cutting Tuesday, area officials gathered to celebrate the changes happening inside the Roanoke City Jail.
“Virginia is a Commonwealth of second chances, doesn’t matter if you’ve served a few weeks in prison or a few decades in prison, there needs to be an opportunity for a second chance,” D.J. Jordan, Virginia Attorney General Chief of Staff said.
And that second chance for people incarcerated in Roanoke is coming in the form of a new program called (R) I.G.N.I.T.E., which stands for “Residents individually growing naturally and intentionally through education.”
“A lot of times they return back into society, but they don’t have a leg to stand on. With these programs we’re giving them an opportunity that when they return they can get housing, they can get some stability,” Roanoke City Sheriff Antonio Hash said.
These programs include GED programs and CDL training.
Some people have already graduated, with one of the first graduates successfully completing the culinary program.
In addition to education, a major aspect of (R) I.G.N.I.T.E. is to change mindset and culture.
“Yes, they committed a crime, yes they’re broken they’re doing their time, but if we don’t change the way they think of themselves when they return back, then at that moment we haven’t done our jobs,” Sheriff Hash said.