Children Detained In Louisiana’s Angola Prison Are Routinely Punished

Children detained in Angola prison in Louisiana, a state in the United States on the Gulf of Mexico, have been enduring punishment from older inmates. In Louisiana’s Angola prison, a dark secret persists. Children or juvenile prisoners have sustained the cycle of violence, creating a hidden epidemic that jeopardizes their physical and emotional well-being.

This troubling paradox is examined by The Guardian in a report titled, ‘Bloodiest prison in the US’: children detained in Louisiana’s Angola prison allege abuses’. 

Bloodiest prison in the US

Consider the harrowing case of Charles “Chuck” Daniel, who was put behind bars on his 16th birthday in 1996. Later on, he was transferred to Louisiana’s Angola prison – also known as the “Alcatraz of the south”. He had to serve out a 149-year sentence for attempted murder and armed robbery. He was one of the youngest prisoners at that time. He endured intense punishment from older inmates. Adult inmates would throw their own feces at him and he had to wash himself with the toilet water in his cell. This abysmal treatment is especially harmful to children. 

Charles “Chuck” Daniel told the media, “It’s inhumane for a youngster to be in that type of position.” He called it the bloodiest prison in the United States. His story has illuminated in gruesome detail how brutal treatment harms children in prison.

Children suffering in Louisiana’s Angola Prison

Children had been suffering in Louisiana’s Angola Prison. Children suffered extended periods of solitary confinement, without access to clean water, as well as without adequate food and air conditioning. Children were beaten by guards and were fed foul food and water. 

A federal class-action lawsuit has been filed against the prison. Currently, the lawsuit has stopped Louisiana’s practice of housing children at its harshest penitentiary.

Last summer, six children escaped from a juvenile detention center in Bridge City, Louisiana, outside New Orleans. 

In the federal class-action lawsuit, the 17-year-old plaintiff Charles C said, “I worry about my mental health because I’m forced to be in these cells.” He was thrown against a wall and injured by staff at the prison. 

After a hearing, US district judge Shelly Dick ordered the removal of children from Angola’s facility. 

The stories of these children and others underscore the pressing need for change. This practice must be effectively addressed and eradicated.