Frank, 57, is working the night shift at Raygen Services (RGS), an electrical contractor with offices in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He is an electrician’s apprentice, utilizing skills he learned during his 33 years of incarceration.
He loves the job, doesn’t mind the night shift, and brings a positive energy to the workplace that is hard to find, said his supervisor, Todd Hatheway, project manager for RGS.
“Frank came to us through a staffing agency about two years ago, and they told me, ‘Take Frank. He’s great.’ They weren’t wrong. From the first time I met him, what stood out was his positive attitude. He’s happy‑go‑lucky, willing to do anything, a true self‑starter. That attitude hasn’t changed once in two years, even when he’s starting a shift at nine o’clock at night,” Hatheway said. “His work ethic and consistency bring real value to our company. If someone shows up, has a good attitude, and performs the job that’s asked of him, that’s what matters. Frank proves that every day.”
Frank was 19 years old when he entered prison in 1989. In May 2022, he became eligible for parole after his sentence was commuted and he was granted parole on Dec. 1, 2022.
During his time in prison he earned his GED, a culinary arts certification, and an electrical trade, which helped him find employment upon release.
“I wanted to do something to better myself when I got there,” he said. “I needed to find and learn a trade to be successful in society. I’m so glad I did, and it paid off. And when I came home, a friend helped me get a job.”
Being home after spending more than three decades in prison is challenging at times, he said, but the life skills he learned as a Parole Project client have helped him reenter society.
He lived in Parole Project’s transitional housing and took six weeks of classes, learning how to use a phone, navigate technology, develop real world financial skills, and adjust to a world that had moved on without him. He now defines success by the purpose he serves, a gift he learned while working with people at the end of their lives in the hospice program at Angola.
“It was eye opening for me, humbling. It taught me how to appreciate life,” he said. “The things we cry about, just think about a man who’s been diagnosed with six months, three months, and he’s at peace.”
That experience fueled his 24‑year journey as a certified hospice caregiver, where he bathed and fed men, sat with them through long nights, and held their hands when their families couldn’t. He stayed for double shifts. He learned their stories, and he watched them die.
It taught him about his own mortality.
“Me seeing this here firsthand, I mean, you hear stories,” he said. “But when I was able to help a person myself, I just felt different.”
Frank grew up in uptown New Orleans with his mother, stepfather, and four siblings. He describes himself as the “life of the party,” energetic, funny, and always outside playing sports. But underneath that was a young man with tough surroundings.
“My dad was in prison,” he said. “My stepdad was a good man, but I wouldn’t let him be a dad to me. I didn’t want anyone telling me anything. I was fighting stuff I couldn’t identify.”
He left school in 10th grade for the streets, hanging around older kids and getting involved in drugs. Frank’s oldest sister died in 2018. His stepfather died the same year. In November 2022, just weeks before Frank came home, his mother passed away.
Frank now lives in New Orleans with his pit bull, Blue. His fiancée lives in Baton Rouge, and when he’s not working, he spends time with her and her six grandchildren. He loves a quiet evening listening to music.
“To me, success is being able to get up and do something that’s contributing to life,” he said. “I appreciate that I’ve been given a second chance, and I was able to come out of prison. That’s a successful story for me. Nothing tops that.”
