What does it take to turn a life around? Robbie Robinson, a man who spent twenty years of his adult life in and out of prison, knew what it took. Alcoholics Anonymous influenced Robinson to take the lessons from his own life and direct his energy into building something positive. With support from AA, help from his parole officer and from many others who were dedicated to changing lives, Robbie wrote a proposal defining his vision to help offenders turn their lives around. In 1971, 180 Degrees was incorporated.
180 began operating in 1973, as a halfway house resource for men coming out of prison. Its original house, a stately red brick building that was once the home of the founders of General Mills, was large enough to accommodate 34 men. Robinson did not believe in taking the easy route of only taking the best candidates for change. To make 180 Degrees a real safety net for the community, he believed that all offenders deserved the chance to redirect their lives, even the men that no one else wanted.
Today, more than 4,500 residents later, 180 is still fulfilling Robbie's dream.Our programs are now run out of a campus of three facilities. In addition to the 230 men going through the halfway house each year, almost that number go through 180's day reporting program. We also extend transitional services to over 200 women and girls in correctional facilities, helping facilitate a successful return to the community and provide electronic home monitoring to over 2,100 court referrals around the Midwest.
Robbie Robinson died in 1982, but his ideas live on. The mission statement of 180 Degrees and its programs, "Building a safer society by helping offenders as they rebuild successful lives in the community," pays homage to this remarkable man.
180
Degrees, Inc. and
its programs are only the most recent
occupants of this fascinating
building. If you'd like to learn
more about its history, simply
click on the photo below.
Looking for Us?
Our
residential services are conveniently
located south of downtown Minneapolis,
with easy access to buslines and
major highways. This location is
very user-friendly for accessing
everything from job opportunities
to a wide range of specialized social
services.
In the News
The label sex offender elicits more anger and fear from the public than
almost any other. Part of the reason is a general feeling that nothing
works. Minnesota Public Radio has done a series called "Keeping Track
of Sex Offenders, " that does a great job of exploring this issue.
On October 30, 2003, Carole Smith received the Corrections Person of the Year award from the Minnesota Corrections Association www.mncorrections.org. This award is the highest honor given by the Association for outstanding contribution to field of corrections in Minnesota by an individual in any employment. Carole started her career in corrections in 1969, working for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. In 1975, Carole left the DOC and became the part-time Executive Director of MCA. Under Carole’s guidance MCA has come to be regarded as one of the largest and most highly regarded state corrections associations in the nation.
In addition to her other volunteer activities, Carole serves as an officer on the Board of Directors for 180 Degrees, Inc. She is the third current Board member to have received this honor. Directors Louise Wolfgramm from AMICUS www.amicususa.org and Bruce McManus from the Minnesota Department of Corrections www.corr.state.mn.us and Reentry Services www.rseden.org (retired) have also received this award.
Recent reports point to tough times for all non-profits. In addition
to the $4.5 Billion State deficit, over 50% of Minnesota foundations
said in a recent survey that they anticipated a decrease in their
grantmaking levels for the coming year. That survey is the Minnesota
Grantmaking 2003 Outlook Report and is available at: www.mcf.org under Trends & Analysis.
180's halfway house and residents were recently part of a KARE 11 special feature on offenders returning to the community. Take a look at their Real Media report at: www.kare11.com.
180 recently participated in a survey for the Bush Foundation on the impact of capital grants on non-profits. The publication is titled Building Stronger Organizations Report. For a copy of the report go to www.bushfoundation.org/publications/publications.htm.
Other Links
For a provocative look at the crisis of services for offenders returning to our communities, check out David Plotz's article, Ex-Con Nation, by clicking here.
A wide-ranging look at the issues of offender housing is captured in Safe Homes, Safe Communities, a surprisingly readable publication of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
In a thought provoking and powerful article, the lessons learned by 14 men who "made it" are collected, in their own words, from a discussion hosted through the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center.
An easy way to make a donation and help us continue our work is through the non-profit resource at Amazon.com.
Simply click on the link:
If you're like most of us, with more time than money, 5 minutes per month
adds up to a huge benefit for our programs. Interested? Click here for more... (.pdf 362k Get Adobe Reader here )
Anonymous influenced Robinson to take the lessons from his own life and direct his energy into building something positive. With support from AA, help from his parole officer and from many others who were dedicated to changing lives, Robbie wrote a proposal defining his vision to help offenders turn their lives around. In 1971, 180 Degrees was incorporated. 
180
Degrees, Inc. and
its programs are only the most recent
occupants of this fascinating
building. If you'd like to learn
more about its history, simply
click on the photo below.
from the Minnesota Corrections Association 
