Fatherhood & Futures Initiative
Team members: Sadie Battle, Kelsi Brewer, Daniel Brownstein, Chris Hauff, Rebecca Hinds, Rebecca Imholz, Michael Samuel
Nearly 1 in 5 prisoners in the South Carolina Department of Corrections will return to prison within three years of being released. The data beyond that three-year window is murky. Many other former inmates will re-offend within that three-year period and return to prison once their charges are adjudicated, which can take years, or will commit crimes later in life.
While recidivism rates have improved in recent years, there are still significant barriers and hurdles for the formerly incarcerated in South Carolina, especially when it comes to finding meaningful employment, rebuilding relationships with families and not falling back into counterproductive behavioral patterns. Nationally, about 30 percent of convicted felons are unemployed.
Turn90 is a non-profit organization that helps restore previously incarcerated men to productive members of society, primarily through post-release programs that combine cognitive behavioral therapy with employment training and job placement. Until recently, all of Turn90’s programming was provided after participants were released from prison.
The Fatherhood & Futures Initiative aims to support a new Turn90 initiative that serves inmates scheduled for release from MacDougall Correctional Institution, as well as those already released who are participating in the Turn90 programs at the facility in North Charleston.
This project’s goal aims to improve job readiness and boost public speaking confidence for inmates at MacDougall while ensuring that inmates have access to opportunities to reconnect with their families and children after release.
Job Interview Preparation & Feedback
The Fatherhood & Futures Initiative will meet with the incarcerated participants in January 2026 at MacDougall Correctional Institution to conduct mock job interviews and provide feedback to the inmates. This will be the first time that Turn90 has utilized the talent and expertise of outside business professionals in the correctional setting. A sustainability plan and operational standards were developed to help Turn90 recruit business leaders, hiring managers, and others who are experienced in job interviews for future sessions.
Positive Family Experiences
During Turn90’s cognitive behavioral sessions with their post-release clients, it became evident that many of the participants strive to rebuild relationships with their families, especially their children. The Fatherhood & Futures Initiative has created a network of Charleston-area family attractions that will provide free admission to the Turn90 participants and their families. Additionally, CARTA will transport the participants free of charge. The network is formalized through a standard operating procedure that includes instructions for obtaining additional free passes from Patriot’s Point, the SC Aquarium, Bulldog Tours, the Charleston RiverDogs, the Charleston Battery and CARTA.
Breaking the Cycle for the Next Generation
The Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce has adopted the children of Turn90 participants for its annual school supply drive. In August 2026, the Chamber will deliver backpacks filled with school supplies to the participants’ children. This is part of a larger effort that the Chamber will implement to collect school supplies for children in Title 1 schools.