Angola Inmates' Caskets: A Buying Guide

While it is not possible to purchase a casket made by Angola inmates, the prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola, have constructed caskets for notable figures. In 2006, inmates built a casket for the world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, who was laid to rest in a simple plywood coffin adorned with a wooden cross. Graham's casket was constructed by master carpenter Richard Lee Grasshopper Liggett, along with Clifford Bowman and Paul Krolowitz, all of whom were serving life sentences. The construction of Graham's casket highlighted the prison's woodworking shop and its rehabilitation programs, which have contributed to a significant reduction in violence within the facility.

Billy Graham's casket was made by Angola inmates

Billy Graham's casket was made by inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. The casket was crafted from pine plywood and was distinguished only by a wooden cross nailed into place by the prisoners. The inmates who built the casket, including Richard "Grasshopper" Liggett, Paul Krolowitz, and Clifford Bowman, were serving sentences for murder and armed robbery. Their names were burned into the wood of the casket.

The idea for the casket came from Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, who saw the prisoners crafting plain wooden caskets during a preaching engagement at Angola in 2005. He was struck by their simple and natural beauty and requested that the prisoners design and build two caskets for his parents. Franklin Graham wanted his parents to be buried in simple caskets, reflecting Billy Graham's desire to glorify his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, rather than exalt himself.

The Angola prison has a history of inmate-made caskets. In the early 2000s, the prison started a casket-building program to provide dignified funerals and burials for inmates who died in custody. The former warden, Burl Cain, initiated the program after witnessing a coffin fall apart during a burial. Richard "Grasshopper" Liggett, a master carpenter and inmate at Angola, was chosen to design and build reliable caskets.

The construction of Billy Graham's casket was a significant moment for the inmates involved. Clifford Bowman, one of the builders, kept a journal of "The Project," expressing his admiration for Billy Graham and the honor he felt in being part of the crew. The inmates engraved their names on the foot of the casket, leaving a lasting mark on this piece of history.

While the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola no longer makes caskets for the public, the prison operates a historical museum and gift shop that supports prisoner welfare and rehabilitation programs. The public can also attend the country's largest and longest-running prison rodeo, where prisoner artwork created in the wood-working program is sold.

Angola inmates also made a casket for Billy Graham's wife, Ruth

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola, no longer makes caskets for the public. In the early 2000s, the caskets were made for special guests who spent time and money supporting prison ministries.

However, it is known that inmates at Angola did make a casket for Billy Graham's wife, Ruth. This was at the request of Franklin Graham, Billy and Ruth's son, who visited the prison in the early 2000s and was moved by the simple dignity of the caskets and the inmates' care in building them.

Franklin Graham asked Angola's warden, Burl Cain, to have the prison carpenters make a casket for his mother, Ruth Bell Graham, and to burn the builders' names into the wood. The cost was $215. He declined Cain's offer to use a higher-grade wood for the casket.

Ruth Bell Graham died in June 2007 and was buried in the casket made by the inmates of Angola.

Richard Liggett, one of the master carpenters at Angola whose name is burned into the wood of Ruth's casket, died three months before she did from lung and liver cancer. Prison officials shipped his body to his family in Kansas, along with one of the last caskets he had built.

Inmates at Angola used to make caskets for special guests

Although the public cannot purchase an Angola casket, the prison has a woodworking shop where caskets are made for inmates. Angola is home to the nation's largest maximum-security prison and most inmates will die while incarcerated there. Inmates who die from natural causes are buried in caskets built by fellow prisoners.

The prison's coffin maker, Richard Leggett, is always busy, keeping three coffins in stock so he doesn't run out. He earns the prison's top wage of 20 cents an hour, giving him some spending money for incidentals. Leggett takes pride in his work, stating that it's important to “give it your best effort”.

In 2006, inmates at Angola constructed a casket for the world-renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, at the request of his son, Franklin. Franklin Graham had previously visited the prison and witnessed caskets being built for inmates who couldn't afford them. The casket was made of plywood, lined with a mattress pad, and adorned with a wooden cross. It was built by Richard "Grasshopper" Liggett, Clarence Wilkerson, and David Bacon, with the names of the carpenters burned into the outside of the casket.

Liggett, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, said he was honoured to build the coffin for Billy Graham and his family. He had also previously constructed a casket for Franklin Graham's mother, Ruth, who was buried in 2007.

Angola inmates are buried in caskets made by fellow inmates

Inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola, are buried in caskets made by fellow inmates. While Angola no longer makes caskets for the public, it has a small woodworking shop where coffins are built for its inmates.

In the past, prisoners were buried in flimsy coffins that resembled shipping crates, each costing the prison anywhere from $650 to $900. However, in 1995, an incident occurred where an inmate's body fell through the bottom of the casket during a funeral. Disgusted by this, Warden Burl Cain asked some inmates with carpentry skills whether they could build a coffin. The inmates agreed and created a coffin in two weeks at a cost of $250, which was considerably cheaper and of better quality than the previous ones.

Today, the principal coffin maker at Angola is Richard Leggett, who is kept busy by the rising number of inmate deaths, with 97% of inmates dying in prison. Leggett always keeps three coffins in stock and takes about a week to produce each one. The caskets are used for funerals, which are elaborate affairs with horse-drawn carriages and rites conducted almost entirely by inmates.

About half of those who die at Angola are buried on the prison's grounds, as they have lost touch with their families. The prison has developed two cemeteries and conducts funeral services with caskets built by fellow inmates.

The prison's coffin maker, Richard Leggett, keeps three coffins in stock

Richard Leggett, the coffin maker at Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana, always keeps three coffins in stock. As the prison's coffin maker, the 53-year-old has been busy, with the prison needing one or two of his caskets in each of the last five weeks.

Mr Leggett, who has been at Angola for 34 years, works with two assistants in the carpentry shop, meticulously going over every detail. He earns the prison's top wage of 20 cents an hour, giving him some spending money for incidentals. He enjoys admiring his finished products, especially the coffins. "If you'd seen what they were buried in before, you'd understand," he says.

Mr Leggett has lost touch with most of his relatives, and the one family member he can locate, his son, is serving 20 years in prison in Texas. "I can't go see him and he can't come see me," he says.

It takes him a week to produce a coffin, although he once built one on special order for an oversized inmate in two days. His most difficult job, he says, was building a tiny 2-foot casket at the request of a prison employee whose child was stillborn.

This month, Mr Leggett had to increase his work schedule. Two inmates died and another committed suicide in a five-day period, cleaning out his entire stock of caskets.

While the public cannot purchase an Angola casket, the prison operates a historical museum and gift shop, where donations and proceeds are used for prisoner welfare and rehabilitation programs.

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