Angola's Unique Systems: A Country's Intriguing Choices

Angola, also known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana, USA. It is named after the country of Angola, from which many of the slaves who worked on the plantation that previously occupied the territory originated. The prison is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, with 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff. Angola has a long and troubled history, including forced labour, abuse, and a lack of healthcare for prisoners.

Angola Prison is the largest maximum-security prison in the US

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 sits on 28 square miles of land 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, Angola is the largest correctional facility in the US by population.

The prison is named after the former slave plantation that once occupied this territory. The plantation, in turn, was named after the country of Angola, from which many enslaved people originated before arriving in Louisiana. The prison was established on land that was known before the American Civil War as the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin.

Angola Prison has a long and troubled history, having been criticised for its conditions, which included racial segregation and rampant violence. Efforts to reform and improve conditions have been ongoing, but the prison continues to face challenges, including issues with medical care and prisoner treatment.

The prison is designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, with prisoners cultivating crops, raising livestock, and performing various manufacturing tasks. Angola also offers educational and vocational programs for prisoners, as well as religious and mental health interventions.

With its large population, isolated location, and complex history, Angola Prison remains a notable and controversial presence in the US correctional system.

The prison is named after the country of Angola, from which many of its slaves originated

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 named after the country of Angola, from which many of the enslaved people who worked on the plantation originated before arriving in Louisiana.

The 18,000-acre prison property was known before the American Civil War as the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by slave trader Isaac Franklin. After Franklin's death in 1846, his widow, Adelicia Cheatham, joined the plantations: Panola, Belle View, Killarney, and Angola, and sold them in 1880 to Samuel Lawrence James, a former Confederate major. The Angola plantation was named after the country on the west coast of Southern Africa, from which many enslaved people were from. It contained a building called the Old Slave Quarters.

Under the convict lease system, Major James ran his vast 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 convict leasing system was brutal and, by the 1890s, deadlier than chattel slavery had been. Annual convict death rates ranged from 16 to 25 percent.

Today, Angola is a working farm, and former Warden Burl Cain once said that the key to running a peaceful maximum-security prison was that "you've got to keep the inmates working all day so they're tired at night." Inmates cultivate, harvest, and process various crops, including cabbage, corn, cotton, strawberries, okra, onions, peppers, soybeans, squash, tomatoes, and wheat. In addition, they breed and train the horses used for fieldwork.

Despite efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola over the years, the prison has been criticised for its treatment of inmates, including the use of prison labour and solitary confinement. In 2024, inmates sued to end working farm lines in brutal heat, and a federal judge found that correctional officials had shown "deliberate indifference" to the risks of injuries or death of incarcerated workers.

Angola's warden Burl Cain was known for his gentle suggestion that patients didn't need medical care

Angola, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana, United States. It is the largest maximum-security prison in the country, with 6,300 prisoners and 1,800 staff. The prison has a long and complex history, with various systems of control and punishment implemented throughout the years.

Burl Cain served as the warden of Angola from 1995 to 2016. During his tenure, Cain was known for his focus on rehabilitation and reducing violence within the prison. However, he also faced allegations of corruption and cruelty, particularly in relation to the treatment of the "Angola Three."

One of the key issues that arose during Cain's time as warden was the provision of medical care for prisoners. While Cain implemented various educational and vocational programs, as well as faith-based initiatives, he was also accused of denying people access to adequate medical care.

The "Angola Three" case illustrates this issue. The "Angola Three" were three prisoners who were held in solitary confinement for decades, allegedly due to their involvement in the stabbing of a correctional officer. Two of the three prisoners were eventually released after appeals and plea deals, while the third prisoner died before facing a new trial. During their time in solitary confinement, it is likely that they did not receive adequate medical care, as they were isolated from the general prison population and had limited access to the outside world.

In addition to the "Angola Three," other prisoners at Angola have also reported issues with accessing medical care. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, prisoners alleged that the prison officials were deliberately reporting low testing rates and that sick inmates were not receiving the necessary medical help. This indicates that, despite Cain's efforts to improve rehabilitation and reduce violence, there were still significant issues with the provision of medical care at Angola during his tenure as warden.

Angola is accredited by the American Correctional Association

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 had a long and troubled history. The prison is located on land that was originally an 8,000-acre plantation in West Feliciana Parish, named after the homeland of its former slaves. In the 19th century, the plantation was a slave plantation, and after the Civil War, it became the site of the state penitentiary.

Throughout the 20th century, Angola faced numerous problems due to its geography and administration. Floods, budget cuts, and brutal working conditions led to inmate protests and national news exposés. In the 1950s, a new governor promised to clean up Angola, and major renovations and improvements were made.

By the 1990s, Angola had grown to 18,000 acres and was a maximum-security prison with an almost entirely African-American inmate population. The officers were all white and were known as "Freemen."

In 1999, the US Army Corps of Engineers began a project to improve the nearby levees. Angola also received accreditation from the American Correctional Association during this time, recognising its adherence to national standards for jails.

Angola has various enterprises, including crops, a license tag plant, a mattress factory, and a herd of cattle. It also holds a professional rodeo and has a semi-annual Arts and Crafts Festival.

The prison offers educational programs and vocational training to inmates and has faith-based mental health initiatives and palliative care programs. It is committed to providing basic educational programs and preparing inmates for release through innovative initiatives.

Angola's accreditation by the American Correctional Association is a recognition of its efforts to improve conditions and adhere to national standards. The accreditation signifies that Angola respects the dignity of prisoners and works to provide an environment that enables behavioural changes and increases the odds of successful reintegration into society.

Angola has been nicknamed the bloodiest prison in the South

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola Prison, has been nicknamed "The Bloodiest Prison in America" and "Alcatraz of the South". Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the prison has a long and violent history, with a particularly high rate of inmate assaults.

In the 1960s, Angola Prison was dubbed "the bloodiest prison in the South" due to the prevalence of stabbings and other violent incidents. The prison had previously gained a reputation for brutality and harsh working conditions, with inmates enduring forced labour and physical abuse. In 1951, 31 inmates slashed their Achilles tendons in protest of the brutal and exploitative conditions, an act of resistance that drew national attention and scrutiny.

The prison's violent reputation persisted into the 1970s, with a federal court ordering reform due to the harsh conditions. Inmate violence eventually decreased, and by 1977, the violent death rate had dropped to zero. However, Angola Prison continued to struggle with violence and safety issues. In 1999, an inmate rebellion resulted in the fatal stabbing of a prison captain, and in 2004, a news article described Angola as "always been famed for brutality, riots, escape and murder."

The prison's remote location, initially chosen due to its proximity to the Mississippi River for transportation and trade, has also contributed to its reputation. The isolation made it difficult for outsiders to access and gather information about the prison, enabling the continuation of harsh conditions and abuse.

Despite improvements and reforms over the years, including the establishment of the Louisiana State Penitentiary Museum in 1998 to preserve the prison's history, Angola Prison remains a place of fascination and infamy, attracting over 120,000 visitors annually.

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