Angola, nope not Africa, the Prison: Angola, LA

This post is a somewhat comprehensive story of my experiences at Angola State Prison. It was a paper I wrote on culture and ethical leadership for a program I’m a part of.

Angola Prison is about an hour north of Baton Rouge in the country. Leaving the main highway, you turn on a road through the forest, which is about 20 miles long, and abruptly arrive at the prison gates. Angola is bordered on three sides by the mighty Mississippi river and 20 miles of forest on the fourth side. Before entering the massive complex, which is 18,000 acres of prison facilities and farmland, we toured the small museum. A prisoner, who has earned the status of trustee because of good behavior and at least ten years of service, led us around the museum which had different artifacts from Angola’s history.

            After touring the museum, we got back in our cars and entered the complex. Our first stop was a house where trustees live. At this particular house, the trustees train dogs to find missing people all over Louisiana. What struck me most upon meeting these inmates was how normal they seemed and what good work they were doing. 80 percent of inmates at Angola will be there until the end of their life. Upon arriving at Angola all inmates except those in solitary confinement, do hard labor in the farm fields for ten years. Some of them become trustees, where they are assigned to a range of tasks from dog training, to woodworking, to taking care of mentally ill inmates.

            Our next stop was general population where the majority of inmates stay. Then, we went to hear a man who killed someone during a bar fight and was sentenced to death, but later got his sentence lessened and was getting released after 30 years. His name was Lane Nelson and he was also the editor of the Angola newspaper. My experience hearing Lane talk changed my view of the prison system. Lane talked about his son that he could not raise and how he had failed him. He also talked about his work with the Angolite and what he planned to do after his release. He has currently been out of jail for 2 years and is writing a book.

            After my first experience at Angola, I was anxious to return. I was finally able to return to Angola multiple times last summer. My teacher who had taken our class on our first trip was a death row inmate’s spiritual advisor in the early 2000s. This experience had been hard for him and subsequently returned to Angola less often. However, he was kind to take me with a group of Episcopalians, including my lower school principal. Although excited, I was apprehensive about going back to Angola. We were going to hold a church service and then hang out with the inmates. I was not scared, but unsure of what I would have in common to talk about with the inmates.

            When we first arrived, I met a man from the bayou who showed me his gardens. Then, as we entered the chapel, some men showed me their paintings, which were incredible. I then met a man named Edwin, who recognized me from being in the newspaper in high school with cross-country. This really surprised me, but we had a lot in common. Edwin’s sister played basketball at Mississippi State and he grew up about 15 minutes away from me. Edwin was sixteen when he killed someone. (We don’t usually talk about inmates’ crimes, but I looked it up on the internet.) Recently, the Supreme Court decided that offenders cannot receive a life sentence without parole if they are a minor when they commit their crime, which is the sentence Edwin was serving.  I also met another inmate named Ronald who was from New Orleans. The inmates I have met are so disconnected from the outside world and are just curious to know about new technology, sports, and the community.  On my last visit to Angola a few days before school began this Fall, I went to a banquet and we stayed for five hours, which seemed like 30 minutes. I met more inmates, and we talked about life and community. The Episcopalians I went with were all older adults who cared about the inmates but laughed at my passion for talking to them saying I could write my thesis by the time we left.

            My time at Angola made me curious and at work this summer I was able to listen to books on tape. Casually perusing the library one day, I found a book by Wilbert Rideau. Wilbert killed someone when he was 17 in a bank robbery, in the 1960s, amidst the civil rights era. An all-white jury sentenced him to death in 8 minutes. Years of research and four trials later, Wilbert’s case reached the supreme court and he was released in 2005, with the court saying he had served 20 years more than necessary for his crime. Wilbert married a professor from Northwestern University and has traveled around the U.S., lecturing at conferences. He has a unique position because of his law research and position as a former inmate, where he can talk to inmates and lawyers, since there is often a socioeconomic barrier. I called Wilbert and although suspicious of me, rightfully so, after we corresponded for a few weeks, he agreed to meet for dinner with his wife, and Deacon Charlie, who also knew him.

            My conversation with Wilbert Rideau and my experience talking with many different inmates radically changed my views on the prison system and its population. I have a much different background and upbringing than the majority of the inmates, we still share common ground and there was mutual respect. Although they have committed terrible acts, they are still valuable as a person and I think it is important to remember that everyone has worth. I have always been an open-minded person, but I think it is still easy to fall into believing the stereotypes society tells us are associated with people who go to prison. Something that came to mind was the parable of the Good Samaritan. Although the Samaritans were seen as the outcasts in society, the one man who helped the injured man was a Samaritan. This is not to say all inmates are great people who are looking to advance society and help, but I think it is important to understand their story and not write them off.

            In conclusion this is cliché, but everyone has a story. No, we should not excuse violent crime based on someone’s upbringing, but it is important to learn from others different than us to build the future and not make the same mistakes. Although it seems like an unlikely setting, some Angola inmates have become some of the best leaders. Angola transformed from the most dangerous prison in America to the safest and I think ethical leadership can be contagious. In our nation which is currently polarized over gay marriage, among other issues, it is important for all Americans to dig deep and analyze why we believe a certain way and try to understand the other side.  It is important to keep an open mind, understand others’ points of view and respect their beliefs even if we disagree.

           

In addition, I’ve read books and articles on the death penalty and here are some often over-looked facts. It costs much more to execute someone than give them life in prison, surveys show that families and loved ones of those that have been hurt by convicted felons don’t feel any better after the inmate is killed than if they are confident he will be in prison the rest of his life. But, the reason that I am anti-death penalty is because of its flaws and innocent people being executed. The innocence project has recorded 306 exonerations. Our justice system is nowhere close to perfect, and never will be, and it’s important to me that innocent people are never killed.