Exploring Angola Prison: A Visitor's Guide

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. It is located at the end of Louisiana Highway 66, approximately 22 miles northwest of the town of St. Francisville, and is bordered on three sides by the Mississippi River. The prison is home to about 6,300 inmates and employs around 1,800 workers.

The prison offers educational programs and vocational training to inmates, as well as religious programs and mental health initiatives. Visiting is considered a vital aspect of an inmate's rehabilitation process, and is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Angola Prison Rodeo, held every Sunday in October and one weekend in April, is the longest-running prison rodeo in the nation. The prison also has a museum, located outside the front gates, which is open to visitors every weekday.

Angola Prison is the largest maximum-security prison in the US, with 6,300 inmates and 1,800 staff

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is the largest maximum-security prison in the US. It houses 6,300 prisoners and has 1,800 staff members, including corrections officers, janitors, maintenance workers, and wardens. The prison is located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, and is situated between oxbow lakes on the east side of the Mississippi River. It is named after the former slave plantation that occupied the territory before the Civil War.

Angola has a long and troubled history. It was first opened as a state prison in 1901, and it quickly gained a reputation as one of the most violent and dangerous prisons in the country. Over the years, it has been the site of numerous escapes, riots, and murders. In the 1930s, the prison was described as being "even further removed from decent civilization" than other prisons, and it was known for housing some of the "meanest inmates." In the following decades, Angola became known as "the bloodiest prison in America," with frequent stabbings and other violent incidents.

However, in recent years, there have been significant efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola. In the 1970s, the prison came under scrutiny from the American Bar Association, which described it as "medieval, squalid, and horrifying." As a result, steps were taken to address the issues, including the appointment of a new director of corrections and a court order to end the Trustee-Officer and Trusty systems.

Today, Angola offers various educational and vocational programs for inmates, including literacy classes, GED preparation, and vocational training in fields such as automotive technology, carpentry, and welding. The prison also has several manufacturing facilities, such as a mattress shop, a printing shop, and a license plate production plant. Additionally, Angola is the only penitentiary in the US where inmates are allowed to run their own churches.

The prison also hosts several annual events, such as the Angola Prison Rodeo, which attracts thousands of visitors, and the Angola Prison Horse Sale. The prison grounds include recreational facilities for staff, such as ball fields, a golf course, and a swimming pool.

Despite the improvements, Angola continues to face challenges and criticism. In 2019, several staff members were arrested for various crimes, including rape and smuggling contraband. There have also been concerns about the mental health care provided to inmates and the conditions on death row, which have been the subject of lawsuits.

The prison is located at the end of Louisiana Highway 66, 22 miles northwest of St. Francisville, Louisiana

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison, is located at the end of Louisiana Highway 66, 22 miles northwest of St. Francisville, Louisiana. The prison is situated in a remote area, surrounded by alligator-infested swamps and flanked by the Mississippi River on three sides. Its location reflects the historical legacy of the site, which was once a 19th-century antebellum plantation owned by one of the largest slave traders in the United States.

Directions to the prison from nearby cities are as follows:

• From St. Francisville, travel north on Highway 61 for about 2 miles. After passing West Feliciana High School, turn left onto Highway 66 and continue for 20 miles until you reach the penitentiary's front gate.
• From Baton Rouge, take I-110 (Martin Luther King Highway) to Highway 61 North and exit towards Natchez/St. Francisville. Travel approximately 21 miles to St. Francisville, then follow the directions above.
• From New Orleans, take I-10 to Baton Rouge and exit onto I-110/Business District/Metro Airport. Turn right onto US Highway 61 North and travel for about 26 miles until you reach Highway 66. Turn left and continue for 20 miles to the penitentiary.

The physical address of the Louisiana State Penitentiary is 17544 Tunica Trace, Angola, LA 70712. The Tunica Trace is also known as Highway 66. The prison is located about 50 miles northwest of Baton Rouge and 135 miles northwest of New Orleans.

The Angola Museum, located outside the front gates of the penitentiary, shares the same address. The museum is open to visitors from Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and is closed on weekends and holidays. Admission is $5 for individual visitors and families, and $3 for groups of 10 or more.

The remote location of the prison and museum means that visitors should be prepared for the lack of nearby dining options. The nearest non-prison dining facility is about 30 miles away.

Angola is bordered on three sides by the Mississippi River and surrounded by alligator-infested swamps

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is a maximum-security prison in Louisiana. It is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, with 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff. Located in West Feliciana Parish, the prison is set between oxbow lakes on the east side of a bend in the Mississippi River and is thus bordered on three sides by water. The Mississippi River, along with the alligator-infested swamps, forms a natural barrier around the prison, making it difficult for inmates to escape.

The prison sits on 28 square miles (73 square kilometres) of land that was once the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin. The plantation was named after the country of Angola, from which many enslaved people originated before arriving in Louisiana. The prison was established on this land in 1901 and was named after the former plantation.

The prison is located at the end of Louisiana Highway 66, approximately 22 miles (35 km) northwest of the town of St. Francisville. It is surrounded by the Tunica Hills and the Mississippi River, with the river forming a natural barrier on three sides. The perimeter of the prison property is not fenced, but the individual prisoner dormitory and recreational camps are fenced.

The prison has a long and troubled history, with a reputation as one of the hardest places to be incarcerated during much of the 20th century. Over 90% of inmates who are convicted and sent to Angola will die within the prison premises, with many buried in the allocated graveyard within the grounds. Angola has been criticised for its harsh conditions, including the use of forced labour and inadequate medical care. However, in recent decades, efforts have been made to improve conditions and introduce rehabilitative programs.

The remote location of the prison, surrounded by the Mississippi River and alligator-infested swamps, has undoubtedly contributed to its reputation and the challenges faced by those incarcerated there.

The prison grounds include a museum, rodeo, and golf course

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. The prison grounds include a museum, rodeo, and golf course, which are all accessible to visitors.

The Angola Museum is located outside the prison's main gate and is the only prison museum in the country that is operated from within an active prison. It features exhibits such as Louisiana's old electric chair, homemade weapons fashioned by inmates, and a replica of the electric chair. The museum is open to visitors every weekday, except for holidays, and admission is $5 for individuals and families, with discounted rates for groups of 10 or more.

The Angola Prison Rodeo, held every Sunday in October and one weekend in April, is the longest-running prison rodeo in the nation. In addition to rodeo events such as bull-riding and barrel-racing, the event also features a craft show with arts and crafts created by the inmates, including rocking chairs, tables, birdhouses, and children's toys.

The Prison View Golf Course is the only golf course located on the property of an American prison. It is open to the public, but all individuals must provide personal information 48 hours in advance for background checks, and convicted felons and individuals on visitation lists are not permitted to play. The golf course was constructed by prisoners and is maintained by those considered to be the most trustworthy.

Angola was once a plantation filled with crops and has since earned the nickname The Farm

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana. It is named after the former slave plantation that occupied the territory before the prison was built. The plantation was named after the country of Angola, from which many enslaved people originated before arriving in Louisiana.

The 28 square miles of land that the prison sits on was known before the American Civil War as the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin. The prison is located at the end of Louisiana Highway 66, around 22 miles northwest of St. Francisville.

Angola was designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, functioning as a miniature community with a canning factory, a dairy, a mail system, a small ranch, repair shops, and a sugar mill. Prisoners raised food staples and cash crops, and the prison was run as a working farm.

The prison has the nickname 'The Farm' due to its agricultural nature and self-sufficiency. In the 1930s, prisoners worked from dawn until dusk, and the prison still operates as a working farm today. Crops include cabbage, corn, cotton, strawberries, okra, onions, peppers, soybeans, squash, tomatoes, and wheat.

In addition to its nickname 'The Farm', Angola has also been nicknamed 'The Angola Plantation' and the 'Alcatraz of the South'.

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