Howard Allan admits his life was a mess. He was going to places
he should not have been, doing things he should not have done, with people he
should not have associated with.
He had decided he was going to change get back to the
religious training his mother insisted he experience as a younger child. He
had promised God he would.
Howard Allan admits his life was a mess. He was going to places
he should not have been, doing things he should not have done, with people he
should not have associated with.
He had decided he was going to change get back to the
religious training his mother insisted he experience as a younger child. He
had promised God he would.
But before he got his journey back to Christian living in gear,
there was that terrible night. In a place he should not have been, with young
men he should have avoided, doing things they should not have been doing, a
shot rang out and a man fell to the ground, dead.
That was 20 years ago, when Howard was 17. Howard was convicted
for that killing, although the one eye witness who testified against him now
has recanted his testimony in an affidavit.
Since his conviction of second degree murder, his mailing address
has been Louisiana State Prison, Angola.
After his initial years in what was then the bloodiest prison
in the nation, Allan examined his life.
“I lost hope. I would see a lot of older guys dying here.
I looked at my life. I would probably die here. If I didnt do something
about my life, I might kill someone here, or something like that. I decided
that the world may hold things against you, but God had already forgiven me.
I turned my life over to God and decided to live for Him here, and do something
with my life.”
He has. Chaplain Toney says, “Allan is one of the finest
Christian men you will ever meet.”
The major part of Allans plan of rehabilitation has involved
“studying to show myself approved.”
He fans a thick stack of religious study course diplomas and
says, “This isnt all of them.”
During the 20 years Louisiana State Prison, Angola, has been
his residence, Allan has completed more than 100 courses of religious study.
Some have been basic courses, others advanced. “They encourage me. They
give me hope. They let me know God cares about you.”
Howards reliance upon God does not mean he does not have
difficult times.
“If I tell you I dont walk through the Valley of
Shadow of Death, I would be lying. There are times I think about going home.
I want to start a family, have children. But I know I am like Joseph in the
wilderness.
“I know that God is helping me to be the man He wants
me to be.”
Allan has become one of the most trusted inmates in Angola.
He is the wardens valet and cook. He moves freely from the dormitory in
the area where the prisons chase and riot dogs are kept to the nearby
“ranch house” that serves as the wardens home quarters and office.
He has achieved top pay of $.20 per hour.
He is active in prison church and Bible study groups and says
he finds meaning in his work with others in the prison.
“Warden Cain didnt just happen,” he says about
his position that could be likened to Josephs position in Potiphers
household in the Old Testament. “God brings things to a point and then
lets us move through them. Im not happy to be in here, but I am happy
that being here brought me to God.”