A recent documentary, Serving Life shown on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) depicted a unique hospice program at the Louisiana State Penitentiary that paired men serving life sentences with those at the very end of their sentences, dying prisoners. The hospice program at the prison was the idea of Warden Burl Cain, who believes that every prisoner deserves to die in dignity, surrounded by his family. In this case, “family” often means fellow prisoners, who make each dying inmate a personalized quilt and keep vigil so the prisoner will not die alone. The hospice program is under the direction of Sandy Netherland-Roberts, who helps select the men who will feed, wash, shave and comfort the dying. Almost every person selected is serving a life sentence. Cain claims that it is in the hospice setting that murders, drug dealers and armed robbers finally find the morality that eluded them when they were free and out in the community. But Cain is also an integral part of another program that is designed to keep young men convicted of crime from becoming yet another old man serving a life sentence.
Cain, along with two forward thinking Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges devised a program that would help non-violent offenders pick up skills ordinarily denied to them in prison, and in life. According to a recent article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Judges Arthur Hunter and Laurie grew weary of seeing those they had sentenced mired in the muck of unemployment, with no opportunity to succeed when they were released. Most often, the formerly incarcerated become re-incarcerated.
To help break the cycle, Arthur and White created an ingenious solution: Reentry Court. But, not just any Reentry Court. This court would send non-violent offenders to a notorious penitentiary. Louisiana is home to one of the most infamous prisons in America. Known as the “Alcatraz of the South,” the Louisiana State Penitentiary, more commonly known as Angola, is the largest maximum security prison in the U.S. Angola long held a well deserved reputation as a violent and brutal institution. Reform came slowly to the penitentiary, but come it did. And it is in Angola that those serving life sentences take those with sentences under ten years under their wings and act as mentors.
Working with Warden Burl Cain, Judges White and Arthur designed a Reentry Court program that would pair about 50 “lifers’ with a comparable number of non-violent offenders who ordinarily would never see the inside of Angola. Every instructor in the program is serving a life sentence. Mentors provide those sentenced to the program with skills that will help prepare them for employment when they are released. In the new vocational skills program, the mentors teach willing program participants automobile repair, carpentry skills, welding. horticulture and culinary arts. Instruction in plumbing and working with veterinarians is being planned.
While this program is now only for men, it is hoped that in the near future a similar mentoring program will begin for female prisoners. The program also teaches life skills. “Social mentors” work with their mentees in areas such as being responsible and punctual, and how to speak to a potential employer. When a lifer tells a young prisoner that he needs to dress properly, and stop swearing, that message is likely to sink in. The consequences of falling back into an old, negative routine when released is an important topic that mentors hope will be absorbed by those the mentors are attempting to put on the right path. The mentors do not what to see the young people end up in the same situation as they find themselves in.
The new Reentry Court program does not only affect prisoners. The program added a novel and positive addition to Assistant Warden Cathy Fontenot’s job duties. Three-quarters of Angola’s prisoners are serving life sentences. With the exception of the Reentry Court participants, the remaining prisoners are serving sentences of 20 years or more. Fontenot never had to devote much time to exploring job opportunities for those about to be released. Now, she is tirelessly advocating for Reentry Court graduates, contacting businesses and promoting the participants’ job skills. Participants in the Reentry Court program cannot be released from the program until a job on the outside is found, so Fontenot is aggressive in finding employment opportunities.
The mentors in the new Reentry Court program in Louisiana have made mistakes that will keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. They hope that they can help others avoid making the same mistakes. Serving a life sentence in prison usually does not allow a lifer to contribute anything to society. This is no longer the case thanks to the innovative program conceived by two judges.
It is too early to know how successful the program will be, but so far, graduates have stayed out of trouble. The program will eventually be open to 127 individuals from New Orleans. Those serving a life sentence are doing their part to reduce recidivism. Both mentors and participants in the Reentry Court program have reported their lives have been changed for the better, that in itself is a measure of success.
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