May 30, 2014. A Third Day at Angola Prison in Louisiana. Angola Prison (LA). “Farming on the Farm” Symposium. In conjunction with an exhibit “The Way We Worked,” presented by the Prison, the LSP Museum, The Smithsonian Institute, and the LA Endowment for the Humanities (resulting in a Certificate and 6 hours of CLU credit). The LSP Museum was represented by Project Director Marianne Fisher-Giorlando, Ph.D. (former Prof. of Criminal Justice at Grambling, and now advisor to The Angolite) and Masha Lindsey, Museum Director. Also present was the Board Chair, former Deputy Warden, and now Member of the State Board of Pardons and Parole. The Editor and some staff of The Angolite, as well as Prison TV Staff, accompanied the tour. The drive to the prison, to West Feliciana Parish, along the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge, through thunderstorms in the early morning, took 2 ½ hours, with 2 hours to return to St. Charles Parish. Fortunately the rest of the day was clear and sunny. The Program involved the new exhibit at the Prison Museum, a tour of the Prison, and especially of its working farm segments (current and historical). We—two busloads of attendees-- saw the fields, the inmates cleaning and processing squash, the Percheron Horses (they use these horses, actually a Percheron/Quarter Horse Mix, and mules, as well as modern agricultural equipment), The Red House (on the National Historical List) and adjoining Execution Building (both these buildings are no longer in use, and the old electric chair, “Old Gertie,” is in the Museum), and two of the churches, including the “Alamo” (the exterior looks like the Alamo at San Antonio, Texas)--The Catholic Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, built with funds contributed from Mexico. There were also a series of presentations: The local Ag Agent on agricultural history in the Feliciana Parishes, The Warden Burl Cain and Deputy Warden, & Prof/Dr. Gaines Foster (LSU, Southern History, Baton Rouge) on “Cotton Culture,” and exhibitions of local jellies and of cotton processing. Dean Foster put the prison and its agriculture in the context of Southern Culture, built around King Cotton (although the prisoners raised other crops, such as Sugar Cane, and worked on the Levees). Warden Cain personally led the visit to the two churches, explained how the Church was built, and answered questions, including about the moral reformation efforts at the prison. This is my third visit to Angola. In early April this year, I visited an inmate, and the Museum. At the end of April, I attended the Spring Rodeo, and again the Museum, when I first met Prof/Dr. Fisher-Giorlando, and the editors of The Angolite, and got to see much of the prison grounds. On this trip, I viewed the Museum’s new exhibit (and met the Board & Directors of the Museum), toured the prison, and met personally the Warden and Staff. We also had lunch at the Prison’s Training Center, where the presentations were made. What is remarkable is the openness of the prison. Every day, there are tours, by school children, by professionals, by religious groups. During the Rodeo, thousands and thousands of people just drove onto the prison grounds, parked, and enjoyed the Rodeo and Inmate Craft Sales. Today two busloads of people toured the prison (without even having ID checked). There is security, of course, but there is also a willingness to be open. This is remarkable considering the history of the prison (formerly one of the worst and most violent in America), and that it has over 5000 prisoners, over 90% of whom are there for life. The prison has little violence, and no apparent gang activity. I was impressed also with the Warden’s trust in his team of prison officials—it takes a team to run such a prison: no one person can do it. There is a style of leadership here which is impressive. This prison, once one of the worst, has become a model for others. There is also very frank talk about the prison, what it was, what it is, and what it could be. I have written of my prior visits, including a history and bibliography of the Prison, a description of my visits, and a separate personal document My Three Years in Prison. I am about to complete, in two more weeks, with Capella University, a course on “The Penal System in the US,” and provided the documents to my fellow students/instructors, and posted them on FACEBOOK. alg
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 00:01:54 +0000
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