Charles Amos, 53, said when he was convicted of second-degree murder and given a life sentence in 1995, he didn鈥檛 think he would amount to much, but he wanted to change.
鈥婬e began educating himself by reading. Then, in 1999, heard about the Louisiana New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary program at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. For four years, Amos read the Bible and wrote dissertations, all while learning the law for his own case.鈥�
In 2007, Amos graduated from the program with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Christian ministry. Amos is one of many formerly incarcerated people who earned a degree while in prison.
鈥淢y main goal was to remake who I was. I felt like I wasn鈥檛 the best person prior to my conviction. So my focal point was changing myself,鈥� Amos said.
In 2018, Amos went to the state Board of Pardons and received a favorable recommendation to get his sentence commuted to 99 years with parole eligibility. He was later released after with the Orleans Parish District Attorney鈥檚 Office to reduce his conviction to manslaughter.
For Amos, getting an education while in prison was about changing himself. He never received any formal benefits such as a reduced sentence. But in recent years, the state has begun offering prisoners small sentence reductions as an incentive for earning degrees. That began in 2021, when the legislature passed a bill allowing for 90 days of 鈥済ood time鈥� credit for earning a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree.
And now, under a bipartisan bill signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry in April, people who are incarcerated can earn 90 days of 鈥済ood time鈥� credit for earning an associate鈥檚 degree from an approved university. Like the 2021 law, it is not available to all prisoners. Those convicted of sex crimes or violent crimes will not be eligible. The law takes effect on Aug. 1.
Good time is approved by the head of the correctional facility where a prisoner is held, whether it鈥檚 a state prison or a . The days off can be revoked for bad behavior.
State Rep. Mandie Landry (no relation), who introduced the bill, said it鈥檚 important to give prisoners as many opportunities as possible for sentence reduction.
鈥淲e want people working and in the community and raising their families and not incarcerated. It鈥檚 expensive. We want people out in the community, not warehoused,鈥� Landry said.
Good time credits can also be earned through sustained good behavior and in approved work, educational, vocational, or rehabilitation programs, a spokesperson from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections said.
Andrew Hundley, the executive director of the , said good time credits help encourage people to do good work by incentivizing it.
鈥淪o it鈥檚 not a significant number, it doesn鈥檛 mean people are going to come home years earlier, but it鈥檚 an incentive to come home several days earlier,鈥� Hundley said.
Louisiana鈥檚 prison population has been a constant issue for the state. It has consistently ranked as the in the country.
Deputy Director of Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) Bruce Reilly, himself a , said coming out of prison and finding a job can be difficult for incarcerated people.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e already dealing with a whole lot of discriminatory side-eyes and things like that. Your resume is going to be potentially terrible. There might be some massive gap or let鈥檚 just say you were a tutor on the inside or a law clerk on the inside or a mechanic on the inside. With other people, you鈥檙e literally asking someone to roll the dice on them,鈥� Reilly said. 鈥�
LeAnn Jochum was sent to the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women for attempted first degree murder. While in prison, she got an associate鈥檚 degree in general communication and a bachelor鈥檚 in business management.
She said the bill is a good way to reward the work that goes into studying while in prison.
鈥淚 know not just me, but plenty of women who have got their associate鈥檚 degree, and you put a lot of work into that with yourself, with your mind, with your mental, just all kinds of stuff,鈥� Jochum said. 鈥淪o I do believe that would be a positive thing for people to have while they are incarcerated, and something to look forward to once they get that degree.鈥�
Landry said she hopes to expand the program in the future by allowing prisoners to earn more days off of their sentences.
Reilly said while the new program is helpful, it鈥檚 a small solution to the larger problem.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a thousand cuts, you鈥檙e going to need a thousand band-aids,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut to be realistic, this is only going to impact so many people who get associate鈥檚 degrees in the system. I don鈥檛 think that the number of people getting associate鈥檚 degrees is that high. If you鈥檙e doing 10, 20, or 99 years, like is 90 days really a dent?鈥�
Amos now works at VOTE as a community organizer. He said that while he doesn鈥檛 use his degree right now, it鈥檚 helped him with critical thinking and how he views himself.
Jochum uses her degrees in her work as a reentry specialist, who helps formerly incarcerated people reenter the workforce.
Even without the credits, both said they were glad they got degrees. 鈥�
鈥淏ut education was the pivotal turning point for me. I can鈥檛 put any more emphasis on that than what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� Amos said. 鈥淓ducation is the key to turning people鈥檚 lives around. And it has to be said. It鈥檚 vital to have a person who鈥檚 educated.鈥�
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