Coffee with Jim

About Commissioner Burl Cain

Nathan “Burl” Cain is a renowned correctional professional known for his transformative and innovative work in the Louisiana prison system during a storied career spanning more than 40 years. Governor Tate Reeves appointed him as commissioner for the Mississippi Department of Corrections effective May 21, 2020.

Cain retired from the Louisiana Department of Corrections (LDOC) after leading an evolution of change at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP), once known as the “Bloodiest Prison in America.” Under his 21 years of leadership, LSP, the state’s only maximum-security prison, became one of the safest, most secure, and progressive maximum-security prisons in the nation. The prison houses more than 6,300 inmates with more than 4,000 serving life sentences for violent crimes. Two award-winning films about the prison were produced during Cain’s administration. The stories are The Farm: Angola, USA (1998) and The Wildest Show in the South: The Angola Prison Rodeo (1999), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

In addition to the film, Cain’s work at Angola also has been the subject of numerous articles and books. The book The Angola Prison Seminary contains evidence-based research from Baylor University substantiating the reduction in violence and other positive effects of the faith-based ministry. Another book is Cain’s Redemption: A Story of Hope and Transformation in America’s Bloodiest Prison.

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