Amy Barch News Today

Amy Barchs Turn90, which uses cognitive behavioral therapy and on-the-job training to reduce recidivism, received a $2 million grant from MacKenzie Scott.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Terrance Ferrell never wanted to come back to Columbia. His memory of the capital city was of holidays spent with his grandmother visiting relatives at prisons up and down Broad River Road.

Turn90 employs formerly incarcerated men. It also provides daily cognitive behavioral classes, case management and future job placement opportunities.

Trey is joined by Founder and Executive Director of Turn90, Amy Barch.

Prison reentry program aims to be 1st in nation

Start for the impact that violent crime has on an individual. >> the turning leaf project run by amy barch is in the final weeks of classes. >> at the end of the course, we have a graduation. i always tell the participants thats my day off and its their opportunity to run the class. they do poems, testimonials. >> amy asked leonard heyward to emcee the ceremony. >> im looking forward to it. got the pizza party at the end. >> not worried about the pizza, man. worried about getting out of here. i ...

In the alley, why didnt i take it seriously? >> the turning leaf program attempts to assure that inmates with non-violent crimes dont come back to jail or escalate to more serious crimes. >> was also confused. >> people that are the victims of crime want to know why. youll hear that come up in some of our testimonies youll hear. >> founded by amy barch, its based on the concept of restorative justice. >> its an approach that says its important to bring people together of the crime and for us to ...

>> all right. hey, thanks for coming and seeing me, amy. i appreciate it. [ bleep ]. [ bleep ] [ bleep ] >> amy, the jails mental health specialist saw kronsberg the last time he was in segregation and helped him get a change in medication. >> he obviously made a choice that earned him some more disciplinary time. the only thing i can think of is that he might have projected some of those feelings onto me. >> [bleep] [bleep]. >> i think he should take responsibility for that and not blame that o...

>> i was abusing drugs for years. a once trusted and respected man in the community. i turned into a liar, a cheat, a thief. like the great man said, henry ford, dont find fault. find a remedy. thats what this class has done for me. its a remedy. amys been amazing. she believes in us. she never once had a doubt in us. even when others have given up on us, even i have given up on myself, she still believes in us. [ applause ] >> im so, so proud of you guys. you all know that. ridiculously proud o...

It was created by amy barch. >> honored guests, my name is leonard heyward and i welcome you to the graduation ceremony of the turning leaf project. today you will witness a variety of speeches, testimonials, skits and poems. and its our hope that we effectively convey our positive changes and ambitions to you. >> my thoughts control my actions and if i think better, ill act better and now that i know better, ill do better. as a husband, as a member of the community, and most importantly, a fath...