Angola Prison's Coffin Sales: Who Can Buy?

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Angola prisoners make their own coffins in the prison woodshop, and these are used to bury inmates who die while incarcerated. In the past, Angola made caskets for special guests who supported prison ministries, but they no longer sell caskets to the public.

Angola Prison Rodeo

The Angola Prison Rodeo is the longest-running prison rodeo in the United States. It was first held in 1965 as a joint endeavour between offenders, prison employees, and civilians living in Angola's residential area. The rodeo takes place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, located at the end of Highway 66, approximately 22 miles northwest of the town of St. Francisville, Louisiana.

The Angola Prison Rodeo is held one weekend in April and on every Sunday in October. On these occasions, thousands of visitors enter the prison complex, and various prisoner organizations sell food at concession stands. The rodeo features a biannual Arts and Crafts Festival, where prisoners display and sell their handmade artwork, furniture, and other crafts.

The rodeo events include traditional activities such as bull riding, bronco riding, barrel racing, and steer wrestling. However, the Angola Prison Rodeo also features unique events such as Convict Poker, where four inmates play poker while a bull is released into the arena, and Prisoner Pinball, where inmates stand in randomly placed hula hoops with a loose bull, and the last inmate standing in their hoop wins. The most infamous event is Guts and Glory, where a poker chip is tied to a bull's head, and inmates try to snatch the chip to win a monetary prize.

The rodeo is a behavioural incentive for offenders with good behaviour to compete, earn money, and sell their hobbycraft and artwork. Inmate participation is entirely voluntary. The rodeo also serves as a rare opportunity for inmates to feel connected to society outside the prison gates and take pride in showcasing their talents.

The Angola Prison Rodeo is a professionally produced event that prioritizes the safety of inmate participants. It works with professional rodeo stock contractors and includes trained rodeo clowns and emergency services personnel on-site. Inmates are required to wear protective gear, and safety measures such as helmets, mouth guards, and vests have been implemented to prevent injuries.

Inmate Hobbycraft Sale

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. The prison, which sits on 8,000 acres of farmland, was once a slave plantation.

On one weekend in April and every Sunday in October, Angola hosts the Angola Prison Rodeo, the longest continually running prison rodeo in the country. Alongside the rodeo, the prison holds the Inmate Hobbycraft Sale, where inmates sell their creations.

The Hobbycraft Sale features a wide variety of items, including hand-carved furniture, paintings, paper and plastic bag guitars, and leather goods. Minimum and medium-security prisoners are given the privilege of creating and selling their art at the Hobbycraft Sale, but maximum-security inmates are not allowed to mingle with the public.

The Hobbycraft Sale is an opportunity for inmates to express themselves creatively, earn money, and support themselves and their families. Inmates who participate in the sale must purchase their own art supplies, and they only have two opportunities a year to sell their work.

Angola does not have a formal art program, but art is encouraged as a productive way for inmates to use their time. The prison also hosts a competition twice a year during the rodeo, where inmate artists and craftsmen can enter their creations in various categories, including paintings, metalwork, woodwork, carving, jewelry, leatherwork, and glass etching.

The Inmate Hobbycraft Sale at Angola Prison provides a unique opportunity for the public to engage with and support the artistic endeavours of the incarcerated individuals at the facility.

Angola Prison's history

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. It is located in West Feliciana Parish, between oxbow lakes on the east side of a bend in the Mississippi River. The prison grounds cover 28 square miles, an area larger than Manhattan.

Before the American Civil War, the site was known as the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by Isaac Franklin, who also owned the largest slave-trading firm in the country. In 1880, the state awarded the lease of the Louisiana State Penitentiary and all its convicts to former Confederate Army officer, Samuel L. James. James purchased several plantations, including Angola, and inmates were housed in the old slave quarters and put to work.

Under this private prison system, profit was the primary concern, and the humane treatment of prisoners was ignored. In 1898, a constitutional ban of convict leasing was successfully adopted, and in 1900, the State of Louisiana purchased the prison camp from the James family, taking operational control in 1901.

The prison has a long history of severe abuses, including the sanctioned use of floggings, punishment camps, and torture. During the administration of Governor Huey Long, official brutality thrived, and inmates were underfed, beaten, and tortured. In the 1950s, administrators and guards resisted outside attempts at reform, and while some changes were made, the lash and punishment camps were replaced with more modern forms of brutality.

In 1975, a federal judge declared the conditions at Angola to be unconstitutional and prohibited the prison from accepting new inmates until the population declined. The state was ordered to improve security, medical care, and food services, and to build new facilities.

Efforts to reform and improve conditions at Angola have continued, and while it is now a much safer place, it is still known for its brutality.

Angola Prison's burial practices

History

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. The prison is located on the site of a former slave plantation, from which it takes its name.

In the past, Angola prisoners who died were buried in cardboard boxes. However, after one body fell through the bottom of a box, Warden Burl Cain changed this policy. He believed that:

> Once a man dies, his sentence is complete and there should be dignity in the passing.

Coffin-making

Today, Angola has an inmate master carpenter who makes coffins in the prison woodshop. These coffins are constructed from brown-stained birch and pine, and it takes about a week to produce one. The coffin-maker always keeps three coffins in stock and has been busy in recent years due to the ageing prison population.

Funeral rites

Inmates are buried in the prison cemetery, Point Lookout II, in a casket pulled by a horse-drawn carriage. The funeral service is conducted by an inmate minister and other inmates act as pallbearers and diggers. The funeral rites are elaborate and often include an a cappella rendition of:

> I’m free. Praise the Lord, I’m free. No longer bound. No more chains holding me. My soul is resting. It’s just a blessing. Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, I’m free.

The future

With the ageing prison population, the current cemetery is likely to reach capacity in the near future.

Angola Prison's art programs

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 offers several art programs for its inmates, which are detailed below.

Angola Prison Rodeo

Angola Prison hosts the longest-running prison rodeo in the United States. The rodeo is held on one weekend in April and every Sunday in October, with thousands of visitors entering the prison complex. The rodeo includes an Arts and Crafts Festival, where prisoners sell handmade items. The rodeo raises funds for religious educational programs for prisoners.

Arts and Crafts Show

Angola Prison also hosts an annual Arts and Crafts Show, where inmates sell handmade items such as jewelry, purses, belts, rocking chairs, tables, and BBQ pits. The event typically takes place in December, and tickets are required for entry.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Angola Prison has partnered with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to offer faith-based coursework leading to an associate or bachelor's degree in theology. This program has been shown to enhance prisoners' social skills and quality of life.

Other Educational and Vocational Programs

Angola offers various educational and vocational programs for its inmates, including adult basic education, high school equivalency preparation, and career and technical education. These programs aim to improve inmates' job skills and increase their marketability upon release.

The Angolite

Angola Prison is home to The Angolite, an inmate-published and edited magazine. The magazine has gained a national reputation and won international awards. It provides a platform for inmates to share their stories and connect with the outside world.

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