Chris Swanson Guest

Chris Swanson

Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson is a 30-year law-enforcement veteran and two-term Sheriff of Genesee County, MI—the state’s fifth-largest sheriff’s office. Holder of both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Michigan, Swanson has led units in corrections, narcotics, investigations, human-trafficking (founding the G.H.O.S.T. task force), and command operations. In 2020 he launched I.G.N.I.T.E., a jail-based education program now replicated in facilities nationwide and validated by Harvard and Brown researchers for cutting misconduct and recidivism. Swanson gained global attention in May 2020 for marching with Flint protesters during the George Floyd demonstrations, and in February 2025 he announced his candidacy for Governor of Michigan.

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Appears in 1 Episode

I.G.N.I.T.E with Sheriff Chris Swanson
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I.G.N.I.T.E with Sheriff Chris Swanson

Sheriff Chris Swanson runs Michigan’s 5th-largest sheriff’s office and, since 2020, he’s been flipping the playbook on incarceration with I.G.N.I.T.E.– “Inmate Growth Naturally & Intentionally Through Education.” The program delivers daily math, reading, and job-skills classes inside the Genesee County Jail and now in dozens of other facilities nationwide. Independent research from Harvard, Brown and the University of Michigan links I.G.N.I.T.E. to sharper literacy, fewer disciplinary incidents and double-digit drops in recidivism.Tune in as we discuss how I.G.N.I.T.E. readies inmates for life beyond bars, the impact of police-community collaboration, and showcase what effective-law enforcement leadership looks like.Criminal Justice EvolutionEpisode 728June 12, 2025