Angola Penitentiary

History

After the Civil War, Louisiana turned to a lease arrangement for many of its convicts, most of whom were black former slaves. By the end of 1866, 75% of all Louisiana prisoners were black, and as of July 1, 2002, the proportion remained at this level. Mark T. Carleton (1971) observes that from the early lease system, through state control until the 1970s federal court intervention, race and profit were the defining factors of Louisiana's philosophy of punishment. S. L. James reputedly became one of the richest men in Louisiana from the lease profits. The state resumed control of the institution with an eye toward those same profits.

Under the lease system, which expired in 1901, convicts worked on private property—both Major James's and that of other plantation owners who subcontracted their labor—for the profit of the lessee, Major James. They worked the land, farming and cutting timber, performed as household servants, and repaired and built levees in the never-ending struggle to contain the Mississippi. They were contracted to railroad companies to rebuild the lines destroyed during the Civil War. Consequently—and contrary to public belief—the majority of prisoners were not housed at Angola but were located throughout the state.

Although today it is an institution only for men, women were the first prisoners transferred to Angola after S. L. James purchased the property in 1880. Women worked in the fields during the James lease and did domestic work in the employees' households. They remained part of the prison until 1961.

State Control

When the convict lease expired in 1901, the state resumed control of the prisoners and immediately built new housing, consisting of wooden cabins. The women's quarters were built in the center, at least one mile from other structures in compliance with the Board of Control regulations providing for the separation of males and females. At the time of transfer, there were 1,142 prisoners. Well into the 1920s and 1930s, not more than 25% to 30% of all state prisoners were housed at Angola. Throughout those years, men and some women were working at levee camps, road camps, and other plantations around the state.

...