07-09-2003, 05:21 AM
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Northern Virginia, USA
Posts: 1,112
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Faith Based Rehab & Radio in LA Prison
Should prison wardens be pushing religion??
Prison Radio: Inside Angola's Incarceration Station.
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Reverend A.J., whose full name is Andrew Joseph, first came to Angola in 1948. "When I came to prison, [it] wasn't a place of rehabilitation. Everything was survival." As a 17-year-old kid who "attracted the older inmates," A.J. survived by "develop[ing] a violent attitude." He was in and out of correctional facilities several times before being sentenced to life in 1978. About 10 years ago, Burl Cain, Angola's warden asked him to become involved with the radio station. "Just to realize that I was counted as a trustworthy inmate to work at a radio station was a big deal for me," A.J. says. "I jumped at that." KLSP is the only FCC-licensed radio station in the country facilitated by inmates, and it's an integral part of Angola's unorthodox approach to inmate rehabilitation. The station was established under a previous warden in 1986 as a means of communicating with everyone in the prison at once. Angola is the country's largest correctional facility, with 5,108 inmates, so the need to disseminate information rapidly is critical.
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The warden is also a deeply religious man, and as such, Angola sometimes feels like disciplinary Bible camp. A plaque near the prison's front entrance quotes from Philippians, and the annual prison rodeo includes a lengthy parade wherein Jesus' story is acted out on horseback. The only on-site facility of higher education at Angola is the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where inmates can earn a degree in Christian ministry. According to the prison's inmate-produced newsmagazine, The Angolite, the "Level One" disciplinary cells afford only "a white jumpsuit, religious book, pad of paper and pen, and legal papers" to each prisoner. The emphasis on Christianity is thought to have a civilizing effect on inmates. Cain insists "the only true rehabilitation is moral rehabilitation." He speaks to churches and religious leaders across the country about Angola's programs, and elicits partnerships with likeminded groups, such as His Radio and MBN, whenever possible.
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