Angola-Louisiana State Penitentiary
Introduction: Should introduce the reader to the facility by providing basic information such as location, current status, security classification, and WHY you chose to report on this specific facility. Introduction should not be longer than 2 pages long.
The following must be included in the body portion of the report: Facility Name
Location
Population (size, gender, average sentence, average offense)
Security Classification and design (medium, maximum; pod, tier, communal, isolation, etc.)
Whether facility has Death Row (if so, how many are assigned, how many have been executed, what is the method of execution)
Specific programs the facility provides to offer rehabilitative services
Historical background explaining why it was built
Prison gang facts
Any information regarding celebrity status (famous inmates, escapes, or staff)
References should be used throughout the paper
Angola-Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary has the nickname Angola or the Alcatraz of the South. The facility is a maximum-security prison under the management of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The location of the prison was an 8000-acre plantation in the Parish of West Feliciana. The plantation had the name Angola because most of its slaves came from the African country. The conversion of the farm into a prison facility began in 1880 when it began housing inmates in the former slave quarters. In the early years, a private firm ran the state penitentiary on behalf of the government. The State of Louisiana took full control of the facility in 1901 after news broke of brutality against the inmates.
The facility is the largest maximum-security prison in United States. Currently, the prisoners’ population is 6300 and they are under the watch of 1800 staff members. The initial design of the facility intended it to be self-sufficient (Kennedy, 2016). The facility had the design of a small community center complete with its own dairy plant, a ranch, a sugar mill, repair shops and a factory to can the supplies from the farms. The prisoners worked in the farms to grow both cash crops and their staple foods. The intention to have a self-sufficient facility was to save money for the taxpayers in the state. In the 1930s, the prisoners worked from dawn to dusk for the upkeep of the facility.
The facility is at the base of Tunica Hills. It is approximately 22 miles north of St. Francisville. Additionally, it is west of Baton Rouge and about 134 miles north of New Orleans. From Baton Rouge, the facility is about an hour’s drive and two hours from New Orleans (Gillespie, 2018). The prison facility borders the Mississippi River in each of the three sides. Further, the prison is close to the Louisiana Mississippi Border. The facility is also approximately 34 miles from the Dixon Correctional Institute. The location of Louisiana State Penitentiary is for from the local community population. To an extent, in the 1990s the facility began providing food for visitors who came to see the inmates because it was far away. The nearest dinner was about 30 miles away.
Currently, the prison sits on 18000-acre piece of land. By size, the correctional facility is larger than Manhattan. A large part of the prison acreage is for farming and the wardens patrol the facility on horsebacks (Kennedy, 2016). Due to the extensive size of the facility, it does not have a perimeter fence. However, there are fences around individual dormitory prisons and other recreational camps. The prison buildings are yellow in color with a shade of red.
The State of Louisiana classifies the facility as multi-security installation. Thirty percent of the facility is for the maximum-security inmates. The maximum security inmates stay in numerous units scattered on the facility grounds. Each of the housing units has heating and air conditioning facilities to make the atmosphere bearable for the inmates. However, most of the inmates stay in dormitories. The management of the facility prefers the dormitories to cell block because it encourages harmonious coexistence among the inmates.
The main prison complex is on the West and the East Yards. The East Yard has numerous minimum and maximum custody prison facilities. However, it has only one maximum custody cellblock (Kennedy, 2016). The maximum custody cellblock holds prisoners with extended sentences. Additionally, it also holds prisoners in transit and those in administrative segregation. Inmates who are need of mental health also stay in the maximum custody blocks. Prisoners in protective custody also stay in the maximum custody blocks. The west yard has 16 medium and minimum custody prison dormitories. Additionally, there is a prison treatment center and an administrative cellblock. The treatment center has a hospice and geriatric center. Ill prisoners on transit receive medical services from the facility.
The main prison complex house the largest chunk of the inmates. Some of the dormitories within the main complex include Cypress, Ash, Hickory, Pine, Oak, Magnolia, Spice and Walnut (Miller & Khey, 2017). The cellblocks in the facility are A, B, C and D. The complex also has the main administrative block of the facility. Additionally, it has a dining facility, a gymnasium and vocational center. The facility also has numerous out camp facilities. One of the facilities in camp C and it has eight medium and minimum custody dormitories. Additionally the block has a working and administrative cellblock. There is also one extended lockdown cellblock. The cellblocks in block C are Wolf, Bear, Tiger and Jaguar. Camp D has the same facilities as camp C. However, it has one working cellblock and it does not have an extended holding facility. Camp D has Falcon, Eagle, Raven and Hawk dormitories. On the other hand, Camp J has three extended lockdown centers that hold prisoners with disciplinary issues. Additionally, Camp J has one medium and minimum custody block. The inmates in the minimum and medium custody blocks are in charge of housekeeping functions in the camp.
Camp F has minimum custody blocks and a unit known as the dog pen that houses 11 minimum custody prisoners. Al the prisoners in the camp are responsible for mopping floors and they deliver food to the other prisoners (Miller & Khey, 2017). The inmates also perform other tasks. Camp also has an execution chamber. The camp is in close proximity to a lake where the trustees involve themselves in fishing. The State Penitentiary also has a Close Cell Restricted Unit which is an isolation unit located close to the main entrance. The unit has about a hundred isolation cells. Additionally, it has 40 trustee beds.
The Reception Center is the closest block to the main entrance of the facility. The reception ushers in new inmates to the facility. It is on the right of the main highway to the facility (Miller & Khey, 2017). The state penitentiary also has a death row within the reception center for the male inmates. One hundred and one lockdown units house the condemned death row inmates. The death row block has the main room and numerous tiers. The entry to each of the tiers has a lock down door and photos of each of the inmates held there.
The death row facility has eight tiers, A to G. Each tier has 15 cells. However, one of the tiers only has one cell. Each hallway in the ties has one cell dedicated for showering. The death row center also has exercise centers with basketball courts (Miller & Khey, 2017). The death row facility in Louisiana State Penitentiary became operational in 2006. However, to date, there is no air conditioning in the facility. The reception center also has a minimum custody holding facility for inmates who take up the housekeeping duties on the block.
The facility also has a group of houses known as the B line. The houses act as premises for the prison staff members. The housing center also provides recreational facilities such as parks and pools (Miller & Khey, 2017). The housing quarters also has a Chapel called as the Angola B line Chapel. There are also schools in the compound for the children of the prison workers. The Angola fire department stationed within the facility is on standby to handle any emergency incident within the facility. The main entrance to the prison facility has a monument etched Philippians 3:15. The Catholic Church is the dominant faith in South of Louisiana. To that extent, the correctional facility has a Catholic Church known as St. Augustine Church.
The facility also has a prison guest’s wing known as The Ranch House. The inmates prepare meals for the guests and they are responsible for the hygiene of the facility. The annual budget for the facility is about $120 million. To date, the facility runs like a working farm. The key to peaceful coexistence in the facility is attributable to the work that the inmates involve themselves with throughout the day. In the night, they are tired and they prefer to rest instead of involving themselves with sinister activities. The facility has had its share of musicians and celebrities such as Huddie Ledbetter and Freddy Fender. As the largest maximum-security prison facility in the United State, Louisiana State Penitentiary is an example of how correctional centers should run. Despite the large number of inmates, the facility maintains peaceful coexistence and correctional services.
References
Gillespie, K. (2018). Placing Angola: Racialisation, Anthropocentrism, and Settler Colonialism at the Louisiana State Penitentiary’s Angola Rodeo. Antipode, 50(5), 1267-1289.
Kelley, L. (2018). Affairs of the Association: Lha Annual Meeting Program New Orleans, Louisiana April 12-15, 2018. Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, 59(1), 106-118.
Kennedy, L. (2016). “He Must Learn What Being a Man is All About”: Negotiating the Male Code at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Deviant Behavior, 37(2), 151-166.
Knight, W., Cooper, C., & Wexler, D. B. (2017). Louisiana Reentry Court Promotes Seamless Transition between Sentencing, Incarceration and Post Release Services–Some Potential Exportable Elements. Arizona Legal Studies Discussion Paper, (17-06).
Miller, J. M., & Khey, D. N. (2017). Fighting America’s highest incarceration rates with offender programming: Process Assessment implications from the Louisiana 22nd Judicial District reentry court. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(3), 574-588.
