Angola Prison: Home To Serial Killers?

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana. It is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, with 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff. Angola has a long and brutal history, and has been nicknamed the Alcatraz of the South. It was the site of a slave plantation before the American Civil War and has been the subject of various lawsuits over the years, including one filed by three death row inmates in 2013, who claimed they were being forced to live in dangerous and extreme heat. The prison has also been home to several serial killers, including Nathaniel Code, who murdered eight people, including two children, in Shreveport's Cedar Grove neighbourhood between 1984 and 1987.

Serial killers in Angola Prison include Nathaniel Code, James Magee and Elzie Ball

Serial killers in Angola Prison include Nathaniel Code, James Magee, and Elzie Ball. In 2013, these three inmates filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, citing inhumane conditions and cruel and unusual punishment. Code, Ball, and Magee claimed they were being forced to live in extreme and dangerous heat, with temperatures reaching as high as 195 degrees during the summer.

Nathaniel Code, also known as the Shreveport serial killer, was convicted of brutally murdering eight people, including six men, two women, and two children, in Shreveport's Cedar Grove neighborhood between 1984 and 1987. Judge Scott Crichton, who prosecuted the case, described Code's crimes as "particularly brutal and heinous."

Elzie Ball is on death row for killing a delivery man in Gretna. James Magee received the death penalty for murdering his estranged wife and their five-year-old son in St. Tammany Parish.

Angola Prison, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana. With over 6,000 inmates, it is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. The prison has a long and troubled history, including inhumane conditions, abuse, and violence. Efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola have been ongoing, but it still retains its reputation as one of the most notorious prisons in the country.

Angola Prison is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States

Angola Prison, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, the prison is situated between oxbow lakes on the east side of a bend in the Mississippi River. With a population of 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff, including corrections officers, janitors, maintenance workers, and wardens, it is often nicknamed "a gated community".

The prison sits on 28 square miles of land that was once the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin before the American Civil War. The prison is named after the country of Angola, from which many enslaved people originated before arriving in Louisiana. The Louisiana State Penitentiary opened in 1901, and it has a long and complex history, including a period of instability that earned it the nickname "America's Bloodiest Prison".

Today, the prison has a variety of facilities and programmes aimed at rehabilitation and reintegration. These include educational programmes, such as literacy and GED classes, vocational training, and religious programmes. The prison also has recreational facilities for staff, such as ball fields, a golf course, and a swimming pool. In addition, Angola Prison has its own radio and television stations, KLSP and LSP-TV, which are operated by inmates.

The prison has gained a reputation for brutality and has been the subject of lawsuits filed by inmates citing inhumane conditions, particularly on death row, where inmates are held in solitary confinement. Despite efforts to reform and improve conditions, Angola Prison continues to face challenges and criticism regarding inmate treatment and rights.

Inmates in Angola Prison have protested against the conditions of their confinement

Inmates at Angola Prison have protested against the conditions of their confinement on multiple occasions. In 1952, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the prison's conditions. This incident brought national attention to the conditions at Angola, with news agencies writing exposé stories about the prison. In 1971, the American Bar Association also criticised the conditions at Angola, describing the prison as "medieval, squalid and horrifying".

In more recent times, in 2013, three inmates on death row at Angola filed a lawsuit against the prison, citing inhumane conditions. The inmates claimed they were being forced to live in extreme and dangerous heat, with temperatures reaching as high as 195 degrees with the heat index in the summer. The inmates' lawyer described the conditions as "horrifying" and "a violation of constitutional protections".

In June 2020, a prisoner rights group called VOTE marched to Angola State Penitentiary to address mass incarceration, systemic racism, and the lack of prisoner releases during the coronavirus pandemic. The group reminded people on Juneteenth that freedom is still hard to achieve for some. One of the protesters, Marcus Simmons, who had been incarcerated at Angola for 12 years, said: "I was raised in Angola. I left behind family in there. As long as your family isn't free, you're not free either."

Angola Prison, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, has a long history of issues due to its geography and administration. Located in a remote region of Louisiana, the prison was bounded on three sides by the Mississippi River, which caused frequent crop destruction due to flooding. The prison has also faced criticism for its use of inmate labour, with inmates being paid just a few cents an hour for their work in the fields.

Angola Prison is located on the site of a former slave plantation

Angola Prison, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is located on the site of a former slave plantation. The plantation, named after the country of Angola in Southern Africa, was owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin. It was purchased in the 1830s as four contiguous plantations: Panola, Belle View, Killarney, and Angola.

The 28 square miles of land that the prison now sits on was known before the American Civil War as the Angola Plantations. The plantation was owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin, who was also a planter and co-owner of the profitable slave-trading firm Franklin and Armfield, based in Alexandria, Virginia, and Natchez, Mississippi.

After Franklin's death in 1846, his widow, Adelicia Cheatham, sold the plantations to former Confederate Major Samuel Lawrence James in 1880. Under the convict lease system, Major James ran the plantation using convicts leased from the state as his workers. He was responsible for their room and board and had total authority over them.

The Louisiana State Penitentiary was established on the site in 1901. It is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, with 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff. The prison has a storied history of instability and reform, serving as a reminder of the progress made within corrections and rehabilitation.

Angola Prison has been the subject of documentaries, films and podcasts

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison, has been the subject of documentaries, films, and podcasts.

The documentary "The Farm: Angola, USA" (1998) offers a glimpse into the day-to-day life of inmates at Angola Prison, mostly from the perspective of those incarcerated. It follows the stories of several inmates, including one with a life sentence who is facing death. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and won several other accolades, including the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards for Best Documentary of 1998.

The podcast "Bloody Angola" delves into the history of the prison, exploring its reputation as one of America's bloodiest prisons. One episode focuses specifically on serial killers, examining their twisted minds and actions.

Angola Prison has also served as a filming location for movies such as "Dead Man Walking," "Monster's Ball," and "I Love You Phillip Morris." The prison's harsh conditions and violent past have made it a sought-after setting for films seeking to portray a grim and brutal atmosphere.

Additionally, the prison has been mentioned in various songs and books, further contributing to its notoriety in popular culture.

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