Cornerstone Builders’ Bus Project provides a free monthly bus service for New Orleanians who have loved ones in five Louisiana detention facilities:
- Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola)
- Dixon Correctional Institute
- Raymond Laborde Correctional Center (formerly Avoyelles)
- Rayburn Correctional Center
- Elayn Hunt Correctional Center
At least once a month, the Bus Project rents a 55 passenger bus and makes the trek to different facilities from New Orleans, at an average cost of $1,200 per trip. Bus service has since been expanded to Shreveport, at an average cost of $2,000 per trip. There are two important objectives for the bus trips:
- to provide free trips for those who cannot afford it, especially families with small children
- to provide passengers with a stress-free and comfortable trip by hiring coach buses equipped with restrooms.
The rides often take more than two hours one way. The travel itself should be as stress-free and comfortable as possible for the family members.
To contact Cornerstone Builders about reserving a ride, please call 504.324.4432 during business hours. Click here for the 2019 Cornerstone Bus Schedule.
Click here for the 2018 Shreveport Bus Schedule. Please contact Lee Jeter at 318-865-1237 for more info.
Read more about Cornerstone in the WWNO article Cornerstone Bus Project Keeps Families Connected To Angola Inmates by Nina Feldman, Oct 2013
Prison Road: The Far-Flung Effects of Incarceration in Louisiana