Angola, Louisiana: A History Of Violence And Injustice

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison, has been described as The Bloodiest Prison in America and The Alcatraz of the South. Angola is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, and it was once known for its harsh working environments and brutal violence.

The prison was once a plantation filled with crops and has since earned the nickname The Farm due to the massive farmland that sits on the prison grounds. Angola has a violent past and a history of harsh working conditions. In the 1950s, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the brutality and hard labour they were subjected to.

In recent years, efforts have been made to reform and improve conditions at Angola. However, the prison still faces criticism and legal battles concerning its conditions and treatment of inmates. Angola remains a place of despair, punishment, and brutality, with a legacy of slavery and human rights abuses.

Angola Prison's violent past

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana. It was once known as "America's Bloodiest Prison" and has a long and violent history.

The prison is located on the site of a former slave plantation, from which it gets its name, and its history is closely tied to slavery and the exploitation of African Americans. During the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, the land was leased to former Confederate Major Samuel Lawrence James, who tried to produce cotton using the forced labour of Black Americans.

Under the convict lease system, Major James ran his plantation using convicts leased from the state, who were subject to harsh conditions, violence, and frequent abuse. Prisoners were often worked to death, and the state had little oversight over their treatment.

In 1901, the state of Louisiana resumed control of the prison and its prisoners, and conditions began to improve. However, violence and instability continued to plague Angola. In 1928, a group of prisoners took two prison guards hostage and escaped, leading to a gunfight that left five prisoners dead.

In the following decades, Angola gained a reputation for brutality, riots, escape, and murder. In 1951, conditions had deteriorated to the point that several inmates slashed their Achilles tendons in protest. This brought national attention to the prison, and it was dubbed "the worst prison in America" by Collier's Magazine in 1952.

In the 1970s, a series of reforms were implemented, including the ending of the "trusty guard system" and the decentralisation of the state penitentiary. These reforms, led by Elayn Hunt, the first female head of corrections in the state, successfully reduced inmate violence and the violent death rate.

Despite these reforms, Angola has continued to face issues with violence and human rights abuses. In 1993, officers fatally shot an escapee, and in 1995, six inmates took three officers hostage, killing one. In 2004, a Guardian article described Angola as "famed for brutality, riots, escape, and murder."

In recent years, there have been continued efforts to improve conditions and reduce violence at Angola. In 2017, Louisiana implemented criminal justice reforms projected to reduce the prison population and reinvest in programs to reduce recidivism. However, human rights violations have persisted, and in 2021, a federal judge found that the prison had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in its treatment of inmates requiring rehabilitative services.

Juvenile prisoners' experiences

In the 1950s, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the harsh working conditions and brutality at Angola. This incident brought attention to the violent and oppressive nature of the prison.

Juvenile prisoners in Angola have faced similar experiences. In 2022, the state of Louisiana temporarily moved a group of mostly Black boys to Angola, citing security concerns and overcrowding in juvenile facilities. This decision was met with criticism and legal challenges from youth advocates and lawyers, who argued that housing juveniles in an adult maximum-security prison was cruel and potentially illegal.

The conditions these juveniles faced at Angola were harsh and isolating. They were held in small cells with inadequate water, limited access to fresh air, and a lack of educational and mental health services. One teen described his experience, saying, "My cell is incredibly small, and I have no room to move... The educational services do not exist here. They put us in front of a computer all day, and there is no library." Another teen recounted being locked alone in his cell for three days after arriving at Angola.

The isolation and lack of services took a toll on the mental health of these juveniles. They were deprived of human interaction and meaningful activities, which are crucial for their development and well-being. The experience of being housed in a maximum-security adult prison, even temporarily, could have lasting negative effects on their psychological well-being.

Additionally, the presence of juveniles in Angola raised concerns about their safety and protection from abuse. Federal law requires juveniles to be separated from adult prisoners, but the large prison complex made it challenging to ensure complete separation. The use of trustees, adult prisoners who perform maintenance and other tasks, further complicated the matter, as it increased the risk of interaction between juveniles and adults.

The decision to house juveniles in Angola highlighted the issues within Louisiana's juvenile justice system, which has been plagued by budget cuts, staffing shortages, and a history of abuse. Advocates have called for reforms to address these issues and provide more effective rehabilitation for at-risk youth.

The prison's history

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. The prison is located in West Feliciana Parish, on the east side of a bend in the Mississippi River, and is flanked on three sides by water.

The land the prison sits on was, before the American Civil War, a slave plantation called the Angola Plantations, owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin. In 1880, former Confederate Major Samuel James purchased an 8,000-acre plantation in the area, which included the Angola Plantations, and kept some inmates there at the Old Slave Quarters.

In 1901, the state of Louisiana took control of Angola, ending 56 years of convict leasing and improving conditions for inmates. However, the prison continued to face problems due to its geography and administration. Floods in 1902, 1912, and 1922 destroyed crops, a key source of funding. During the Great Depression, the prison's budget was severely cut, and conditions deteriorated to the point that, in 1952, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the harsh working conditions and brutality.

In the 1960s, Angola earned the nickname "The Bloodiest Prison in the South" due to its high rate of inmate assaults. The prison underwent major renovations, improvements in medical care, and other upgrades. By the 1990s, Angola was accredited by the American Correctional Association.

Today, Angola covers 18,000 acres of land, the size of Manhattan. It is a tight-knit community, with employees and their families living on prison property. The prison offers various programs and activities for inmates, including literacy and GED classes, vocational training, and a rodeo held twice a year. Angola also has several manufacturing facilities and enterprises, such as crops, a license tag plant, a mattress factory, and a herd of cattle.

Angola's reputation

The prison's violent reputation is not without reason. In 1992, the prison experienced 1,346 assaults, including both inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff attacks. Angola's violent past is also reflected in its onsite museum, which houses various homemade weapons fashioned by inmates, such as knives, a shotgun crafted from metal pipes, a spiked ball on a chain, medieval axes, and a meat cleaver responsible for several inmate deaths.

The prison's violent reputation can be traced back to its early years. Before becoming a prison, Angola was a plantation filled with crops, named after the area in Africa from which enslaved people originated. After the Civil War, Angola became a prison camp where slavery persisted through convict leasing. Under this system, Black people, including children, were arrested and "leased" to work without pay on farms and construction projects.

Even after Louisiana took control of Angola in 1901, the prison continued to be associated with violence and harsh conditions. In the 1930s, Angola was described as "even further removed from decent civilization" than it was in the 1990s, reflecting its isolated and brutal nature. In the 1950s, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the harsh working conditions and brutality at the prison. This incident brought national attention to Angola, with media outlets exposing the brutal conditions and referring to it as "the worst prison in America."

Despite efforts to reform and improve conditions, Angola continued to be associated with violence in subsequent decades. In 1971, the American Bar Association criticized the conditions, describing Angola as "medieval, squalid, and horrifying." In the 1980s, the prison was the site of the "Angola Lonely Hearts" scam, perpetrated by an inmate. In 1993, Angola officers fatally shot a 29-year-old escapee, and in 1999, inmates took three officers hostage, resulting in the death of one officer.

In more recent years, Angola has continued to grapple with violence and controversy. In 2004, a journalist described Angola as "always been famed for brutality, riots, escape, and murder." In 2012, budget cuts led to the layoff of guards and the closure of guard towers, impacting prison security. In 2019, seven staff members were arrested for rape, smuggling items to inmates, and maintaining personal relationships with prisoners.

While efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola have been made over the years, its violent reputation persists. With its history of harsh conditions, inmate protests, and deadly incidents, Angola remains synonymous with violence in the American prison system.

The prison's present-day conditions

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. It is located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, and is flanked on three sides by the Mississippi River. The prison has a notorious past, but conditions have improved over the years.

Angola is home to about 6,300 inmates and employs around 1,800 workers. It is a self-sufficient working farm, with prisoners raising food staples and cash crops. The prison offers various educational and vocational programs to inmates, including automotive technology, carpentry, culinary arts, and horticulture.

In recent years, Angola has faced criticism and legal battles over its conditions. In 2019, seven staff members were arrested for rape, smuggling items to inmates, and maintaining personal relationships with prisoners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, prisoners alleged that the prison deliberately kept testing rates low to mask an epidemic.

The prison has also been criticised for its treatment of inmates on death row, who are held in solitary confinement and subjected to harsh conditions. However, efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola are ongoing. The prison now offers various programs aimed at rehabilitation and reintegration, and its violence rate has decreased significantly.

Today, Angola remains a maximum-security prison, housing some of Louisiana's most dangerous criminals. While conditions have improved, the prison still faces challenges and continues to be the subject of scrutiny and reform efforts.

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