Inmate Organizations
Angola Amateur Boxing Association
Provides support for the prison's boxing program and sponsors "fight night," held every few months with boxing teams from other state prisons competing for corrections department championship belts. The organization has held more belts in all weight classes through its 25-year history than any other prison boxing club in the state. The organization is a member of the Louisiana Institutional Boxing Association.
Angola Drama Club
A theatrical organization open to the talented and least talented inmates who are willing to work hard and collectively to develop their talents. The Drama Club performs regularly at Angola's various functions, and some members have traveled outside to perform at events such as the Festival Internationale de Louisiana, the Violence Prevention Conference, universities, churches, youth detention centers, and community centers.
Angola Jaycees
Creates and supports programs that build today's youth into tomorrow's leaders. A requirement for membership is the completion of the Leadership Development courses. This year-long course involves 13 subjects, such as Communications Dynamics, Spiritual Awareness, Leadership Dynamics, Parliamentary Procedures, and Speak-Up (a public speaking class).
Angola Lifers Association
Works diligently politically to attain some type of release mechanism, specifically parole eligibility or executive clemency, for lifers and practical lifers. The most significant accomplishment to date is their membership in the Louisiana Coalition of Organization for Justice and Penal Reform. The coalition consists of many penal reform groups, including Louisiana CURE.
Angola Special Civic Project
Focuses on influencing sentencing reform in Louisiana. Their goal is the enactment of parole eligibility for lifers. They played a key role behind the enactment of the 20/45 law - a prisoner serving a "number" (a sentence of years, as opposed to life sentence) is eligible for parole after serving 20 years and having reached the age of 45; conducted consortiums on criminal justice, which have included judges, lawmakers, professors and criminal-justice students; and established a viable network with Tulane University's POPS (Project for Older Prisoners) to help elderly prisoners at parole and clemency hearings.
Association of Literary Arts
Provides the opportunity to excel in the areas of education--specifically creative writing. The Association's programs consist of a literary writing-skills class and writing workshop.
Camp-J Unity Club
Focuses on the idea "to better ourselves and our area through active participation" through education and self-help programs. Programs sponsored by the Unity Club are educational classes, a law class, and recreational and religious concessions that help make money to do the things that will improve their area and enhance the programs they sponsor.
Church of God in Christ
Reaches inmates with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hopefully to lead them to salvation and an opportunity for them to reconstruct their lives into something meaningful. The fellowship achieves its purpose through an active prison hospital ministry, a weekly Bible-study class and weekly worship service, in-house revivals, and as a co-sponsor of the Main Prison Gospel Band.
Concept Club (Camp C)
Supports the camp's inmate population by providing rehabilitative programs in order to prepare the members for return to society as productive, law-abiding citizens. The secondary goal is to provide physical, spiritual, and moral support to the inmate population at Camp C. These goals are met through various weekly self-help programs, which include public speaking, substance abuse, youth development, and law classes. Concept also sponsors several sports teams at the camp.
CPR T.E.A.M.
Teaches others the life-saving skills of CPR so they can help anyone who is having a heart attack. They have trained or re-certified over 6,000 people, including inmates, security personnel, doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, firefighters, teachers, students, bus drivers, and community and day care center participants.
Dale Carnegie
Trains inmates in a variety of skills pertaining to public speaking, human relationships, personality development, and a little applied psychology. Recent accomplishments and activities include creating and supporting the Toy Shop (an inmate operation that refurbishes old bicycles and makes an array of wood-carved toys for underprivileged children), donating to elderly prisoner events, and conducting a "Character Counts" program. Club members also support an adopted orphan through monetary means. The DC-Lions softball team has won more championships than any other team in the history of organized slow-pitch competition at Angola.
Forgotten Voices
A charter Toastmaster International Club that focuses on leadership and communication skills. It has won several major speech competitions, received the "Distinguished Club" award four years in a row, had its club newsletter voted in the top ten Toastmaster list worldwide for three consecutive years (1995-1998), and was honored with the 1998-1999 Founders Award. Whenever given the opportunity, the organization competes with other Toastmaster International Clubs in public-speaking competitions.
Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship Inc.
Serves the general prison population through a nondenominational Christian outreach ministry. Besides monthly services (which attract close to 200 inmates), the group holds classes for Sunday School, Effective Witnessing, and Kingdom Living.
Horticulture Club
Provides this community with the science or art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants.
Human Relations Club
Provides assistance to the inmate population. Initially created to pay the cost of clemency advertisements for indigent applicants and to provide assistance to needy inmates, today the club pours much of its resources into providing assistance to the elderly at LSP.
Jehovah Witnesses
Engages in theocratically arranged programs of Bible Study with a view toward attaining a knowledge of Jehovah God and His purpose for humankind.
Latin American Cultural Brotherhood
Provides a home and education base for the Hispanic prison population. The club-sponsored programs are: Family development (which provides better interaction between Hispanic and English inmates), Spanish classes for English-speaking inmates, public speaking and leadership-role classes. The club buys educational materials and donates to other prison activities, including the Senior Citizens Olympics and the Chapel fund.
Louisiana Juvenile & Young Adult Program
Focuses on helping troubled youth. They have provided personal and financial assistance to organizations such as the Shreveport Juvenile Justice Program, Lafayette Teen Court, and community youth centers in the New Orleans area. The club currently has two activities for its members: A Head to Head and Power of Choice workshop, and Character Counts training course.
Men of Integrity
A Christ-centered ministry dedicated to changing the character of men so that they may become godly influences in Angola.
New Hope Group of Alcoholics Anonymous
As an Alcoholics Anonymous structured organization, it provides a 12-Step to Recovery class and personal counseling sessions for those with a serious need. The organization also sponsors a law class.
Pentecostal Fellowship
Educates and organizes mankind concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Along with the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship, within the past four years they have constructed and hosted five evangelistic crusades.
Reception Center - Academics & Recreation Club
Focuses on helping the residents of the Reception Center to better themselves educationally, spiritually, and physically. The club sponsors self-help and religious classes, and a recreational program for trusties who live and work at the Reception Center. Classes include public speaking, law, substance abuse, and bible studies.
Sober Group of Alcoholics Anonymous
Provides a means for members to maintain sobriety by holding weekly meetings and giving testimonies. They participate and offer a 12-Step/12-Tradition course, and classes in public speaking, Spiritual-Awareness, and French.
Social Advancement Club
Serves as a means to keep morale up for its members and help them with their needs. The club has created three sub-clubs that mirror the personality of Camp-F's population: Elderly Assistance Program, which helps elderly inmates with everyday necessities; Camp-F Lifers, to help provide prisoners with information about new laws that affect them; and Truevine Fellowship, a Bible study and worship program.
Social Orientation Club
Provides the residents of Camp-D an opportunity to better themselves spiritually, mentally, physically and morally. The group sponsors activities and committees such as Lifers, Vets, Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, Juvenile Awareness, Christian committee, business and law classes, public speaking, and a drama club.
St. John Institutional Baptist Brotherhood
Serves as a means to proclaim the Word of the Lord to win souls into the Kingdom of God, and build an army of young believers who will influence the world that Christ is the answer. This is the oldest Christian inmate organization at Angola. The organization sponsors regular church services, Bible classes, youth programs, evangelistic ministry, a floral fund for members to send flowers when a loved one dies, and sponsorship of the St. John Warriors basketball team.
Students of Islam
Focuses on the practices of Islamic teachings and principles. As much as possible, they observe all Islamic rituals and holidays, hold weekly Jumah services, and Talim classes twice a week.
Students of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Provides a means to prepare members for Bible College and raise funds which provide financial support for the college (books and office supplies).
Toy Shop
Members create toys for needy, underprivileged children: Shiny wooden tops; refurbished bicycles; wood blocks carved into trains, planes and automobiles; rocking horses; and an array of durable, flashy toys. The toy makers give away an average of 3,000 toys each Christmas season to children in need.
United Methodist Men Fellowship
Provides members the knowledge of fundamental Christian doctrines of the Bible, and to help them mature in character--emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. The group holds a weekly Bible-study series and a weekly worship service. The group uses any generated funds to purchase club supplies, support the Vet's Walk-A-Thon, and Senior Citizen Olympics.
Vets Incarcerated/VVA Chapter 689
Provides a base for the hundreds of war veterans who have passed through or remain at Angola. Their community service at the prison includes: air-conditioning and heating services and military-style funerals for inmate veterans buried at the prison cemetery. In 1997, when the Mississippi River threatened to flood Angola, prison officials called on the Vets experience to erect two large "tent cities" so that Angola's prison population would be safe from the rising water.
Wonders of Joy
Helps promote positive attitudes and behavioral traits within participants and their immediate environment, through established programs geared toward helping them redefine who they are in terms of becoming a better person. These programs will include, but shall not be limited to: Public speaking, creative writing and self-awareness workshops.
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