Angola Prison: Surrounded By Water, A Secure Island?

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Located in West Feliciana Parish, it is surrounded by the Mississippi River on three sides and flanked by oxbow lakes on its east side. With a history dating back to the 19th century, Angola Prison has earned nicknames such as The Bloodiest Prison in America and Alcatraz of the South due to its violent past and harsh working conditions.

Once a slave plantation, Angola was purchased by former Confederate Major Samuel James in 1880. The prison housed inmates in the Old Slave Quarters, and James later moved a small number of male and female prisoners to work the plantation fields. After James, the prison went through several management changes and periods of reform, including a convict-leasing system that lasted until 1898. During this time, prisoners were subjected to forced labour and harsh conditions, with many dying from the intense work.

In the 20th century, Angola gained further notoriety for its brutal environment and violent inmate attacks. In 1952, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the harsh working conditions and brutality within the prison. This period also saw the rise of the Angola Three—Robert King, Herman Wallace, and Albert Woodfox—inmates who were placed in solitary confinement for the murder of a prison guard, which they denied, allegedly due to their involvement with the Black Panther Party.

Today, Angola Prison has undergone reforms and now offers various rehabilitation programs and trade jobs for inmates. However, it still faces legal battles concerning its conditions, with a recent federal ruling ordering the relocation of incarcerated youths held in unsafe conditions. With its complex history and ongoing struggles, Angola Prison continues to be a prominent part of the American correctional system.

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

Angola, also known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is the largest maximum-security prison in the US. It houses about 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff, including corrections officers, janitors, maintenance workers, and wardens. The prison is located on an 18,000-acre site in West Feliciana Parish, bordered on three sides by swampland and the Mississippi River.

Angola has a long and troubled history, previously operating as a slave plantation and later gaining a reputation as "America's Bloodiest Prison". Over 90% of inmates sent to Angola die within the prison walls, with many buried in the allocated graveyard within the prison grounds.

In recent years, Angola has faced criticism and scrutiny over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with prisoners alleging deliberately low testing rates and inadequate medical care.

Angola is also known for its extensive agricultural operations, with prisoners raising various crops and livestock. However, the prison's use of inmate labour, particularly in dangerous and low-paying agricultural work, has been the subject of controversy and legal challenges.

Despite efforts to improve conditions, Angola remains a stark example of the challenges faced by the US prison system, with a focus on rehabilitation and addressing the underlying issues contributing to mass incarceration.

It is located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, and is surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi River

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison, is located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, and is surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi River. It is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, with around 6,300 inmates and 1,800 staff, including corrections officers, janitors, maintenance workers, and wardens. The prison sits on more than 18,000 acres of land and is known for its violent past and harsh working conditions.

Angola Prison has a long and troubled history. Before the Civil War, the land was a plantation called Angola, owned by one of the largest slave traders in the country. The plantation was named after the country of Angola, from which many enslaved people originated before arriving in Louisiana. After the Civil War, the land was purchased by former Confederate Major Samuel James, who used it as a prison camp, leasing inmates out as forced labour to replace slaves. Inmates worked under brutal conditions, and many died.

In 1901, the State of Louisiana resumed control of the prison and inmates, and conditions began to improve. However, the prison continued to be known for its violence and harsh environment, earning nicknames like "The Bloodiest Prison in America" and "Alcatraz of the South." In the 1950s, 31 inmates cut their Achilles tendons in protest of the brutal conditions and forced labour. This act brought national attention to the prison, and the Governor of Louisiana implemented reforms to improve conditions.

Despite these efforts, Angola Prison continued to struggle with violence and poor conditions well into the late 20th century. A federal consent decree was placed on the prison in 1983 due to deficient healthcare, rampant violence, overcrowding, and racial segregation. Federal oversight of the prison lasted 16 years.

In recent years, Angola Prison has been at the centre of the COVID-19 pandemic, with inmates reporting widespread illness, dysfunctional care, and deadly neglect. Although officials insisted they were testing and isolating infected inmates, many prisoners claimed they were denied medical attention and left to recover in their crowded dormitories.

Today, Angola Prison remains the largest maximum-security prison in the United States and is home to thousands of inmates serving life sentences. While conditions have improved, legal battles concerning the prison's past and present conditions continue.

Angola was once a slave plantation, and the prison is nicknamed the Alcatraz of the South

Angola, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, was once a slave plantation. The 18,000-acre complex, which now houses more than 6,000 inmates, was a plantation for slaves as early as the 1830s. It was named after the former Portuguese nation of Angola, from which thousands of Africans were shipped as slaves around the world, including to Louisiana.

The prison is nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", owing to its isolated location and reputation for violence. It is located in West Feliciana Parish, surrounded by the Mississippi River on three sides and rugged, impenetrable Tunica Hills on the remaining side.

The prison has a long history of human rights abuses, with forced labour, brutal beatings, and violent deaths being commonplace. Inmates have been made to work in fields under the threat of violence, with some dying from the harsh conditions.

The convict-lease system, which allowed private contractors to use inmate labour, was implemented in 1844 and continued until 1972. This system was highly profitable for the state and private companies but led to rampant human rights abuses and what has been described as neoslavery.

Even after the convict-lease system was abolished, forced inmate labour continued and remains a practice at Angola today. The prison is still managed as a modern-day slave plantation, with forced labour being used to line the pockets of prison managers and politicians.

In recent years, there have been efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola, but it remains a place of harsh conditions and forced labour, with a federal judge ruling in 2021 that the prison violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in its treatment of inmates requiring rehabilitative services.

Inmates work on the prison's farmland, growing crops to feed themselves and other prisoners in Louisiana

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana. It is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, with 6300 prisoners and 1800 staff. Angola sits on 18,000 acres of land that was once a slave plantation.

Inmates at Angola work on the prison's farmland, growing a variety of crops, including cabbage, corn, cotton, strawberries, okra, onions, peppers, soybeans, squash, tomatoes, and wheat. Angola is a self-sufficient facility, and the food grown by inmates is used to feed themselves and other prisoners in Louisiana.

The use of prison agriculture programs as a form of rehabilitation for inmates has been debated. While some argue that it helps inmates develop skills and improves their work ethic, others claim that it is inherently punitive and connected to slavery. In September 2023, inmates at Angola filed a class-action lawsuit against the prison, alleging that they were forced to work in cruel and dangerous conditions for little to no pay.

The lawsuit describes the harsh conditions faced by inmates, including working in extreme heat with inadequate protection, a lack of access to clean drinking water, and being forced to work even when sick or disabled. The lawsuit also alleges that inmates who refuse to work or fail to meet quotas are punished, which can include being sent to solitary confinement.

The debate around the use of inmate labor in agriculture and the conditions they face continues to be a contentious issue in the United States.

The prison is known for its brutal past, including the use of an electric chair, nicknamed Gruesome Gertie, to execute prisoners

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, 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 brutal and violent past, including the use of an electric chair, nicknamed "Gruesome Gertie", to execute prisoners.

Between 1941 and 1991, 87 men were executed using Gruesome Gertie, including Willie Francis, a 17-year-old who survived a botched electrocution but was killed during a second attempt a year later. Gruesome Gertie was retired in 1991 when Louisiana switched to lethal injections as its method of execution. Today, Gruesome Gertie is on display at the Angola Prison Museum, encased in glass as a star attraction.

Angola's dark past also includes forced labour, beatings, and inhumane living conditions. The prison was once described as "probably as close to slavery as any person could come in 1930". Inmates were subjected to hard labour, with armed guards on horseback watching over them as they worked in the fields. The fields are still a feature of Angola today, with prisoners earning as little as two cents an hour for their labour.

In addition to the electric chair, Angola's history of executions includes the use of the Red Hat Cell Block, a particularly harsh unit where inmates were served leftovers, had to use buckets as toilets, and could hear the executions taking place within earshot. The unit was closed in 1972 as part of efforts to reform the prison.

Despite some reforms and improvements, Angola remains a place of forced labour and harsh living conditions. In recent years, the prison has faced lawsuits and criticism over its treatment of prisoners, particularly those on death row, who have endured extreme heat and inadequate medical care. While Angola may no longer be "the bloodiest prison in the South", its legacy of brutality continues to haunt it.

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