Program areas at Turn90
Transitional employment and job readiness training - Turn90 works exclusively with men leaving prison who are likely to return without an intense intervention. The typical Turn90 man was arrested as a youth which began his cycle of justice involvement: jail - prison - probation - repeat. He did not thrive in school or at work. Turn90 is the first job for 20%. Turn90 men share a history of poverty, exposure to violence and family instability. Integral to their success is access to work, housing and transportation, a pro-social support network, coping, social and problem-solving skills. Turn90 is more than a service provider. Each person is given full-time employment on day one, including those who have never worked and have lengthy and serious criminal histories. Hiring a diverse workforce is not simply a business strategy, it is our core identity. The reason turn90s exist is to level the playing field for men who experience a lifetime of disadvantage. We intentionally hire people with the longest criminal records, violent charges, no work history, or skills with little to no options in the open job market. Our hiring practices require prioritizing equitable access to employment and an inclusive workforce over competing business demands of efficiency, productivity, and profitability. We value our men by paying them a fair wage. We don't distinguish between work and personal development. Turn90 men are compensated for their entire program experience, including social work support, cognitive behavioral classes, and activities outside of work to meet personal goals. Their success is our bottom line. Program completion is marked by placement into entry-level career jobs with a community partner.
Cbt & direct assistance to individuals - we operate two reentry centers in south carolina. The approach is evidence-informed and immersive. Participants engage in daily cognitive-behavioral classes to develop social, coping, and problem-solving skills and receive supportive services delivered by our social workers. Peer mentorship is provided by program graduates on staff. Making a deep investment in a person's emotional, social, behavioral, and financial well-being gives them the skills to manage life differently, a pathway to legal employment, and an offramp from the incarceration cycle. A single-site, immersive experience combining daily cognitive behavioral classes, peer mentorship, social work support, and full-time paid employment addresses both the risk factors correlated with a person's incarceration and the external barriers they face at prison release. We call this a "therapeutic social enterprise model of reentry." This model has the potential to change the entire prison reentry landscape.