Ex-convict who served 29 years for murder shows support for new REIGNITE initiative at Cass County Jail

Image by WDAY News Staff
Image by WDAY News Staff

(Fargo, ND) -- A former convict who spent 29 years in prison for murder was among those who gathered in Fargo Wednesday to help jumpstart the new R.E.I.G.N.I.T.E. initiative at the Cass County Jail.

"We all are going to make mistakes. I made probably the worst mistake you could ever make in the world. Everyday I regret it. Everyday I have to live with a choice that I made," said Johnell Allen-Bey, who now serves as a Jail Education Ambassador in Genesee County, Michigan. 

Allen-Bey spoke to area police chiefs and sheriffs about the benefits of the R.E.I.G.N.I.T.E. initiative, which first began in Genesee County and is now being used in several jails around the country. The first classes in the program at the Cass County Jail began this summer. The goal is to provide continuing education, career training and spiritual encouragement to help inmates live healthy and productive lives after they re-enter society. 

R.E.I.G.N.I.T.E. stands for Residential Enhancement & Inmate Growth Naturally & Intentionally Through Education.  
 

Original Air Date: 
Wednesday, September 21, 2022