Angola Prison

Angola was spread over 18,000 acres and the former slave plantation of slave trader Isaac Franklin. The name Angola derived from the African country from where the slaves that once worked the plantation were born. Three sides of this vast land were surrounded by the Mississippi River, with the east side of the property the Tunica Hills. In 1869, a Confederate soldier leased the land for farming and used a “convict-leasing” program where he leased convicts from the New Orleans and other surrounding city’s jails. Reminiscent of the slave ownership, these convicts were housed in former slave quarters, worked seven days a week and were starved and beaten. The state of Louisiana purchased the land in 1901, and it became a state penitentiary.

Dorms at Angola Prison

Upon arrival, prisoners were kept for 30 days at a Reception Center (RC), and then introduced to the prison population. The main...