We've docked on St. Francisville this morning. That's in the state of Louisiana. It has a population of 7800 of which 6300 are in jail. You may have guessed, the Louisiana State Penitentiary is here and that's where we ended up this afternoon for a visit. It's a very big place, more like a township. Our bus drove straight into the prison compound for a couple of miles along cattle paddocks, produce fields. Nothing we've seen before. The prisoners are in a series of camps on a 18,000 acres. There are 60 prisoners on Death Row. a very large number of prisoners are in for life, meaning they will never ever be released. They'll die in the prison. The yanks don't namby-pamby their criminals. We could take a leaf out of their books.
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| The Blogger outside Angola Prison |
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| Death Row and Execution Chamber |
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| Kathy is trying the chair for size |
We were taken to the previous death row and execution chambers and then we met some of the lifers who are now mentoring other prisoners to take up trades such as plumbers and builders, although some of them will never be released. Naturally a lot of them have now found god. The end result is the prison has very little violence and is a model to many other US prisons. It was quite an experience.
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| The Angola Prison Farm |
Enjoyed reading your travel adventures, but I don't know if I would like to visit the prison.
ReplyDeleteWell if you use guns to shoot or raping etc. someone as is done, then why not spend your life in prison. You get a bed, food, medical and dental treatment etc etc! Problem is - it costs money.
ReplyDeleteI hoped to see Maitland Jail on my trip, but to have a guided tour, you have to go on the weekend. Then an ex-con will take you around.
Yes, the "goody goodies" here are strange. I wonder constantly what would they think if a family member was on the receiving end of foul play??
Look out Nou Oleans - the Bohlens are coming.
Brennans and see if you can locate Ragtime Cowboy Joe, a nightclub, on Bourbon Street. Just don't wear a tie.
They cut it in half and pin it to the wall with your card!!! This club is real time - Ragtime Jazz.
Cheers
Colin
I'm not sure what I would expect from a visit to a prison, but this does sound rather interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to imagine what a tour bus looks like driving around a prison. Was it a little scary? Don't worry about the pictures, I'm enjoying your descriptions just as much!
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