Case Study: Angola
Angola was once called America’s bloodiest prison.
The largest maximum-security prison in the United States, Angola has 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff. It occupies 28 square miles in Louisiana, a site larger than the size of Manhattan.
Eighty-five percent of its prisoners died there, either due to life sentences or violent incidents within its walls. In 1993, new warden Burl Cain resolved to transform Angola into a model prison community by providing academically qualified prisoners with a Christ-centered college education.
Today, Angola Has Been Transformed
The prison has:
- An 80% reduction in violence
- Dozens of prison-led churches
- Graduates sent to other prisons as missionaries
- Hospice chaplains
- Suicide counselors
- Counseling ministry
- Teaching assistants and many other graduate-led ministries
“I spent years before my incarceration destroying my life. The Hope-Western program is helping me rebuild it.” —Student, 2019
“College is helping me become a new man. I hope I have the chance to show others in society how I am changing. I thank God for the opportunity for this second chance.” – Student, 2019
BECOME A PARTNER
To partner with The Hope-Western Prison Education Program, contact:
Kary Bosma
bosmak@hope.edu
Dr. David Stubbs
david@westernsem.edu
Martha Miller CenterHolland, MI 49423