New program offers non-violent inmates job training, life counseling in prison
Gwen Filosa | The Times-Picayune • July 21, 2010

Two Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges Tuesday announced they would launch a program to offer convicts job training and "life skills" counseling while they serve prison time for nonviolent crimes.


"Re-entry Court" was approved by the Louisiana Legislature during its past session, and the pilot program will start in Orleans Parish.


Judge Arthur Hunter and Judge Laurie White said they will each select 50 recently convicted people, sentenced to 10 years or less, to study carpentry, auto repair, welding, horticulture or culinary arts, while at the state prison at Angola.


Convicts serving life sentences will teach the courses, and double as mentors, the judges said.

The program is voluntary, and available only to defendants who plead guilty. Judges will order assessments for education, drug counseling and "life skills," and check on the inmates' progress from the time they enter prison to their release.


"This doesn't cost any money, just more interest and time," White said. "This program is the only one of its kind that starts as they go into jail and not as they go out. This is for people who have nothing going for them except a conviction on their record."


Angola warden Burl Cain said the judges 'had to really take a leap of faith' to commit to the program, which he said will ensure there are fewer victims of crime.


White and Hunter held a news conference Tuesday morning at the Tulane Avenue courthouse, joined by Angola prison Warden Burl Cain, State Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, Sheriff Marlin Gusman, and Whalen Gibbs, assistant secretary for the state Department of Corrections.


Gibbs noted that Louisiana leads the nation in per capita rate of incarceration, with 800 of every 100,000 residents behind bars. Louisiana has about 37,000 inmates.


"We get 75 percent of them back," said Gibbs. "That's what we're trying to fix. That's because we didn't prepare them for life on the outside."


Cain said that the judges "had to really take a leap of faith" to commit to the re-entry program, which he said will ensure there are fewer victims of crime.


"Right now, there are 44 people from New Orleans who are in school learning how to repair cars," said the longtime warden of the maximum security prison in Angola. "They are learning from lifers."

ARTHUR HUNTER IN THE NEWS

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Judge Arthur Hunter’s campaign for Mayor of New Orleans released its first campaign video today, powerfully framing his life’s work as a police officer and judge who has always fought for justice, accountability, and the people of New Orleans.
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Judge Arthur Hunter’s campaign for Mayor of New Orleans has raised over $110,000 in just over a month, marking a strong and early show of support for his grassroots movement to deliver honest, effective, and accountable leadership.
March 12, 2025
Hunter, a former NOPD officer, Criminal Court Judge, and longtime advocate for police accountability, warned that such a change would inject harmful political influence into an institution that should remain focused on public safety and professionalism—not politics.
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“New Orleans is in trouble. Our streets are broken, crime is out of control, and too many families are struggling. We can’t keep making excuses—it’s time for real solutions,” said Hunter.
February 27, 2025
"To date, I’ve personally met with over 300 different people, organizations, and groups about the issues facing us. One thing is clear: New Orleans is at a crossroads," said Hunter.
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By Arthur Hunter January 3, 2025
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