Ending the Cycle of Violence Through Serving Others

 

Cathy Fontenot, Assistant Warden at Angola Prison, explains how their rehabilitation programs are designed to promote service and to offer alternatives to violence.

Louisiana Lockdown has given us the opportunity to raise funds for initiatives that save lives. All proceeds from the series have been used to maintain two very important programs - Pen Pals, a pet shelter created for state emergency evacuations and the Reentry Work Training Program, a vocational training program which pairs short term offenders with long term offender tutors and peer mentors.

We believe it is important to find ways to safely and effectively give back to society.  It is true that offenders have committed terrible crimes. They have caused unspeakable grief and deep pain to their victims and countless others.  Once sentenced to live out their days behind bars, they become a full time burden to the state. They are our responsibility because they have forfeited their freedom. Why not find ways to provide these offenders with a way to give back?

Earning Trust at Angola Leads to Challenging, Rewarding Opportunities

 

What's it take to earn Trustee status at Angola?  Assistant Warden Cathy Fontenot explains how the program works.

In last week's show, the idea of trust figured heavily - offenders trusted that if they behaved well, they would gain approval; staff trusted in their work experience and knowledge when considering approval of offender's requests.  What does being a trustee mean and what is expected with the classification?

Trustee status is obtained after an offender serves at least 10 to 15 years. Chronological age is considered important as younger inmates are thought to be escape risks more so than those who are nearing the age of "criminal menopause" (usually age 35-40).  Good conduct records and work skills are also factors in granting trustee status as institutional needs must be supported.

Moral Rehabilitation: When is an Offender Ready to Rejoin Society?

 

When are offenders ready to rejoin society as law-abiding citizens?  Assistant Warden Cathy Fontenot gives her insights into moral rehabilitation.

We believe in moral rehabilitation.  As the warden frequently says, “victim’s trump and no inmate should be freed if his victim will have to live in fear.” 

There are cases that should be reviewed when there is no victim objection and the offender has proven himself to be morally rehabilitated and remorseful for his past choices. 

Warden Cain worked to have legislation passed that allows for the wardens to be ex-officio members of the pardon and parole boards which results in better odds upon the recommendations or denials. 

Working at Angola: Giving Light at the End of the Tunnel

 

What's it like being an Assistant Warden? Hear from Cathy Fontenot and the road that brought her to Angola.

The Assistant Warden of Programming works under the Deputy Warden of Programming and is responsible for all offender services and programs.  Classification, the placement of offenders in their housing, work and the following of their progress throughout their incarceration, is one of the chief areas of my work. Reentry efforts to correct the deviant behavior in those who are due for release back into society is unique here as we use long-term offenders as peer mentors to train and share their life experiences with short-term offenders.  These areas of responsibility involve daily contact with offenders, their families, crime victims/survivors, every other discipline at the prison and throughout the Department of Corrections, as well as outside law enforcement.  Angola attracts lots of tourists, media and researchers so my calendar remains full – as we average 2,500 people who visit each month. 

Angola Prison: The Mission of a World within a World

 

In the last episode of Louisiana Lockdown, the Angola staff and inmates struggle with maintaining family life with the harsh realities of prison life.  Assistant Warden Cathy Fontenot talks about the institution of Angola and its mission.

In many ways Angola is a world within a world. It’s an institution built to keep the great majority of its felons from ever reentering free world society again. It is the job of the staff who work there to use the resources at hand to attempt to correct deviant behavior in order to provide public safety. While we can prevent men from physically escaping, we know that they still have an impact on their family, supporters, and the public. It is our job to inspire and ensure that any contact made with others (inside and outside prison walls) is non-violent and non-offensive. We hope that the messages are informative and can lead to discussion on how better we can serve the public in terms of their future safety.  We hope to stop victimization and promote healing.

Prison Suicide: Averting Tragedies at Angola

 

In the last episode of Louisiana Lockdown, the Angola staff faced tragedy -- suicide is one of harsh realities encountered at Angola.  Assistant Warden Cathy Fontenot talks about prison suicide.

Suicide is a form of escape in my opinion and we do all we can to prevent them.

Warden Cain has even implemented a program where the mental health staff train offenders with limited duty (they often can’t work in the fields) in the signs and symptoms of suicide. 

These offenders are assigned to be tier walkers and they talk to cellblock offenders in between the mandatory rounds that staff must make in areas where offenders are most prone to attempt to commit harm to themselves. 

Suicides are not common events at Angola as most offenders do find hope in the progress they make here. In recent years, we have had two suicides in 2011, none in 2010 and 2009, one in 2008 and one in 2007 and none in 2006.  

 

Tune in TONIGHT for an all-new episode of LOUISIANA LOCKDOWN, where Warden Burl Cain’s "Land of New Beginnings" offers inmates "eight seconds of freedom" in a unique Animal Correctional Program.
"Drug Bust" premieres at 10 PM ET/PT.

 

Weathering Natural Disasters at Angola Prison

 

Get an exclusive look inside Angola Prison in the all-new series Louisiana Lockdown, where Warden Burl Cain’s "Land of New Beginnings" offers inmates "eight seconds of freedom" in a unique Animal Correctional Program.  Cathy Fontenot, Assistant Warden, explains how Angola prepares for natural disasters such as flooding and hurricanes.

 

Having the Mississippi River surround us on three sides, while a perfect cost-effective perimeter, causes us to be ever vigilant to the rising tides of the Father of Waters.  We prepare for a major flood fight each Spring.  In 1997, we almost lost the prison to a historic rise in the water.  Half of the population was moved, in the middle of the night when it appeared that the levee would breach, to tent cities temporarily built on high prison grounds until the danger subsided.  Former Governor Mike Foster would later say that the rebuilding of Angola’s levees was the most important accomplishment of his tenure.  In the first episode of Louisiana Lockdown, we evacuate our invalid and active disciplinary offenders to other institutions as the river reaches an unprecedented height, threatening to destroy the only maximum-security prison for males in Louisiana, which would in effect cost the state billions and cause the overpopulation of all secure prisons and jails in a state that incarcerates more of its people than any other.

Compelling Stories: How 'Louisiana Lockdown' Made it to Animal Planet

At first glance, some may be curious what a show like "Lousiana Lockdown" is doing on Animal Planet. Focusing on the 5,300 inmates at Louisiana's Angola Prison, the show documents how the inmates can either choose to rebel and live in despair or cooperate and earn privileges at the pentitentiary - most of which allow them to work with animals.

I had a chance to ask Animal Planet Executive Producer Keith Hoffman and "Louisiana Lockdown's" showrunner Lisa Bloch about the series. And with their insight, it makes perfect sense as to why such a powerful show has a place in the Animal Planet lineup. Those of us here on Animal Planet know just how important the human-animal relationship is - and we're guessing that you do too. So learn a little bit more about Animal Planet's newest show and tune in Fridays at 10PM E/P.

Why did you decide to tell this story?

Lisa Bloch (LB): For years I had heard stories and read news articles about Angola Prison, the most infamous penitentiary in the US. I knew Angola was a place with a long history; a unique institution that houses some of the country’s most hardened criminals. But I also knew that Angola was a place of contradictions. For some men, it is the end of the road, while for others it is the place that they start afresh. So, there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to make a television series within the prison's iron bars.

And I’m glad I went forward with it.  Angola is not your average prison. And the inmates and staff who live there provide riveting and dramatic stories. 

Keith Hoffman (KH): We were interested in the subculture of Angola Prison. It's a world so far removed from the rest of society in a remote area of Louisiana. Even the guards live in a community on the grounds almost side by side with the  dangerous men. We were interested how the staff and prisoners function in this world especially as they prepare and participate in a rodeo where convicted criminals (most with a life sentence) compete against each other and mix with the general public. 

Life in Angola Prison, a "Land of New Beginnings"

Get an exclusive look inside Angola Prison in the all-new series Louisiana Lockdown, where Warden Burl Cain’s "Land of New Beginnings" offers inmates "eight seconds of freedom" in a unique Animal Correctional Program.  Cathy Fontenot, Assistant Warden, offers insights into the prison population and staff.

Louisiana State Penitentiary currently is budgeted to house 5,145 maximum-security offenders.  Our current count stands at 5,316 however.  There are 3,992 Lifers and 85 on Death Row.  Of the remaining population of those who are eligible for parole, the average sentence length is 93 years.  Last year a total of 52 offenders were released and 37 offenders died in custody.

The greatest resource we have at Angola is our professional and dedicated staff and our morally rehabilitated offender population.  It takes people to make a difference in correcting deviant behavior.