Leo Jackson and Cornerstone Builders of New Orleans help the formerly incarcerated
Leo Jackson of New Orleans helps the formerly incarcerated reclaim their lives. ( )
The day Leo Jackson, then age 27, walked into the Louisiana State Penitentiary to begin a double-life sentence term, the Angola prison was known as the "bloodiest" in the nation. Jackson was pardoned in 2006, but the new life he leads began long before his release.
Jackson, now a minister, said he came to have faith in God, earned a college degree, and found a calling all while inside prison walls. Outside, Jackson now helps the formerly incarcerated reclaim their lives through service to others in his position as associate director of Cornerstone Builders, a civic justice initiative of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Abuse, and other unresolved issues, often is carried into relationships and leads to more broken lives, Jackson said. Service to others can break the vicious cycle, he said.
"The men coming out of prison are the raw resources that are going to make the difference," Jackson said. "They helped create [the problems] and they are the best candidates to help solve them."
Cornerstone Builders provides 100 hours of work with pay through Re-entry 72, a partnership with Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office to provide food, shelter, and clothing in the first 72 hours after release. Participants work in non-profit organizations such as St. Jude Community Center, Servant Heart Center, Community Action Project, the Regional Re-entry Center, among others.
Bitterness might have marred his life if not for one dramatic event.
"I was born again inside prison walls," Jackson said. "I don't mean I joined church. I was born again."
Twenty-one years after Jackson stepped into Angola, the prison began to change when newly-arrived Warden Burl Cain opened the doors to churches and faith-based organizations with programs benefiting inmates, Jackson said.
One such program was that offered by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary whereby inmates earn college degrees.
"I'll never forget that day," Jackson said. When the NOBTS representative told the men that money was scarce, the prisoners used their own money to buy books and open a library. "It was a change that brought about change in Angola beyond anything anyone ever imagined," Jackson said.
Two years after Jackson graduated with the first NOBTS class, he transferred to Dixon Correctional Institute, Jackson, La, to fill the role of chaplain's assistant.
"Leo gave up his accrued 'good time' at Angola to transfer voluntarily to another prison in which he could minister to other prisoners," said Steve Lemke, NOBTS provost.
"The miracle of the NOBTS Angola program is what the graduates are doing with what we have taught them," said Charles Kelley, Jr., NOBTS president. "It is in the doing that the life change becomes visible and the power of moral rehabilitation becomes clear."
Jackson left prison with "mixed emotions," but determined to help others, he said. Jackson sought out the Rev. James Nelson Brown, Second Zion Baptist Church in Marrero, the pastor who had performed the eulogy for Jackson's father while Jackson was in prison.
Jackson served on staff at 2nd Zion Baptist Church and directed Cops and Clergy, an initiative of area African-American churches and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, before joining the newly formed Cornerstone Builders in 2008.
Jackson chuckled as he described the day thirty ex-offenders lined up outside the Archdiocese building at 1000 Howard Street for a picture. The founding of Cornerstone Builders marked a new perspective, Jackson said. "People saw that [ex-offenders] were just like everyone else."
Jackson, 68, remains connected to Angola through a partnership of Cornerstone Builders, 2nd Zion Baptist Church, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and a coalition of Loyola students that provides transportation for family members monthly to area penal institutions. NOLA to Angola, an annual 3-day bicycle ride fundraiser, benefits the program.
Jackson is quick to say that Cornerstone Builders is about more than providing the formerly incarcerated opportunities to serve.
"It's about changing lives," Jackson said. "It's not about service. It's about touching a person's heart and through the power of God to change them, they become better persons."
For more on Cornerstone Builders, visit www.ccano.org or call 504.310.6954.
Marilyn Stewart writes about people and events of the faith community in Orleans Parish. Send information three weeks in advance to marilynstewart.nola@gmail.com
Jackson, now a minister, said he came to have faith in God, earned a college degree, and found a calling all while inside prison walls. Outside, Jackson now helps the formerly incarcerated reclaim their lives through service to others in his position as associate director of Cornerstone Builders, a civic justice initiative of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Abuse, and other unresolved issues, often is carried into relationships and leads to more broken lives, Jackson said. Service to others can break the vicious cycle, he said.
"The men coming out of prison are the raw resources that are going to make the difference," Jackson said. "They helped create [the problems] and they are the best candidates to help solve them."
Cornerstone Builders provides 100 hours of work with pay through Re-entry 72, a partnership with Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office to provide food, shelter, and clothing in the first 72 hours after release. Participants work in non-profit organizations such as St. Jude Community Center, Servant Heart Center, Community Action Project, the Regional Re-entry Center, among others.
"True rehabilitation, and by that I mean a transformation, occurs through service," Jackson said. "And the sheer joy of serving others will change their way of thinking and responding to other people."
True rehabilitation, and by that I mean a transformation, occurs through service. Leo Jackson
Jackson was convicted of heroin possession with intent to sell at a time when the crime carried mandatory minimum sentencing in Louisiana. The disparate amount of heroin in comparison to his sentence was a factor in former Gov. Kathleen Blanco issuing his pardon, Jackson said.Bitterness might have marred his life if not for one dramatic event.
"I was born again inside prison walls," Jackson said. "I don't mean I joined church. I was born again."
Twenty-one years after Jackson stepped into Angola, the prison began to change when newly-arrived Warden Burl Cain opened the doors to churches and faith-based organizations with programs benefiting inmates, Jackson said.
One such program was that offered by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary whereby inmates earn college degrees.
"I'll never forget that day," Jackson said. When the NOBTS representative told the men that money was scarce, the prisoners used their own money to buy books and open a library. "It was a change that brought about change in Angola beyond anything anyone ever imagined," Jackson said.
Two years after Jackson graduated with the first NOBTS class, he transferred to Dixon Correctional Institute, Jackson, La, to fill the role of chaplain's assistant.
"Leo gave up his accrued 'good time' at Angola to transfer voluntarily to another prison in which he could minister to other prisoners," said Steve Lemke, NOBTS provost.
"The miracle of the NOBTS Angola program is what the graduates are doing with what we have taught them," said Charles Kelley, Jr., NOBTS president. "It is in the doing that the life change becomes visible and the power of moral rehabilitation becomes clear."
Jackson left prison with "mixed emotions," but determined to help others, he said. Jackson sought out the Rev. James Nelson Brown, Second Zion Baptist Church in Marrero, the pastor who had performed the eulogy for Jackson's father while Jackson was in prison.
Jackson served on staff at 2nd Zion Baptist Church and directed Cops and Clergy, an initiative of area African-American churches and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, before joining the newly formed Cornerstone Builders in 2008.
Jackson chuckled as he described the day thirty ex-offenders lined up outside the Archdiocese building at 1000 Howard Street for a picture. The founding of Cornerstone Builders marked a new perspective, Jackson said. "People saw that [ex-offenders] were just like everyone else."
Jackson, 68, remains connected to Angola through a partnership of Cornerstone Builders, 2nd Zion Baptist Church, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and a coalition of Loyola students that provides transportation for family members monthly to area penal institutions. NOLA to Angola, an annual 3-day bicycle ride fundraiser, benefits the program.
Jackson is quick to say that Cornerstone Builders is about more than providing the formerly incarcerated opportunities to serve.
"It's about changing lives," Jackson said. "It's not about service. It's about touching a person's heart and through the power of God to change them, they become better persons."
For more on Cornerstone Builders, visit www.ccano.org or call 504.310.6954.
Marilyn Stewart writes about people and events of the faith community in Orleans Parish. Send information three weeks in advance to marilynstewart.nola@gmail.com
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