TurnAround Village came into being in 1987 in the heart and mind of Rev. Blaine J. Gravel. Over the process of time Mr. Gravel, in 1998, began working part-time with the chaplain at Washington Correctional Institute (now Rayburn Correctional Center) in Angie, LA. He became a job placement specialist, employed by the DOC in 2002, to help ex-offenders find employment. When the DOC lost funding for his position, Gravel just continued to help men find jobs and the resources they needed and TurnAround Village became a reality. TurnAround Village has now provided a “faith-based” alternative to the Department of Corrections program that employed Mr. Gravel in 2002. Since beginning operations in 2003, TurnAround Village has provided guidance to hundreds of men. It can be something as simple as advising them by phone or giving them a ride from the prison to hand-holding through the trials and struggles of daily living. Operationally, TurnAround Village offers, job-readiness and placement, transportation to and from work, medical appointments, church, and other activities. Men are constantly evaluated and observed as they re-connect with the community. In 2005, TurnAround Village moved into a 5000 sqft. transitional facility in Washington Parish and since that time the re-arrest rate (recidivism rate) of TAV clients is 15.7%. This rate is much lower that the Louisiana average of 50% and the national average of up to 70%.