Activists demand transparency as ‘Louisiana Lockup’ opens at Angola Prison

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — After Governor Jeff Landry introduced “The Louisiana Lockup” at Angola, which is set to house over 200 criminals in the country illegally, many community organizations are speaking out.

Tia Fields with the Baton Rouge NAACP said they’ll be met with harsh conditions, or worse.

“When we talk about the carceral economy, we’re looking at bed quotas. We’re looking at slave labor. The same things that the current inmates that are normally housed in Angola are facing are now being expanded to include more bodies, more harm,” said Fields.

Landry declared a state of emergency, allowing him to move funds to help rebuild the prison. Fields said this is a red flag.

“His choice prioritizes expansion over community resilience when it comes to natural disasters. So, the fact that you are willing to take state dollars allocated for natural disasters and we’re at the peak of hurricane season, it raises alarm that there are ready-to-profit bodies over the state’s resilience when it comes to climate,” she said.

Now, they’re asking for a better and clearer understanding of how people are going to be treated, including public records.

“We are asking that the state, as well as DHS and ICE, release the contracts to determine what the bid guarantees are going to be and if there is a quota attached to the number of individuals being brought in as civil detainees,” said Fields.

She said they’re way of wanting to get involved is to provide help, regardless of status.

“We’re looking at using community-based organizations such as those a part of this coalition to assist with case management, to assist with attorneys. We know that one community has the input and influence on those who need that representation. You have a higher turnout of individuals appearing in court,” said Fields.

She said, as this continues to happen, with the growing numbers of people being thrown in the ‘Louisiana Lockup’, she said she hopes this opens the eyes of those outside looking in.

“The way we treat civil detainees is the way that we will determine how we as everyday individuals will be able to access due process,” said Fields.

Landry claims the facility has the capacity to house 400 criminals within the next few months.

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