
I chose to research Angola Prison, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, because I have had an interest in the prison as a whole after I visited it in 2014 for a high school trip. The things I saw while at the prison amazed me, to know that I was merely standing among prisoners, in their housing quarters, and inside the lethal injection room, among other places. This prison is known as "A Gated Community," a phrase sold on t-shirts in their gift shop and during their annual prison rodeo; it is a place where, if prisoners prove themselves trustworthy, they can receive many privileges within their 23-mile community  --  a concept that struck me as very interesting and intriguing. I am researching how the treatment of prisoners is effective to their well-being. After reading a few articles from online databases and visiting the prison itself, I feel as though I am qualified to research such a question. When I first visited Angola, I did not think much about the outcome of the prisoners' treatment, but now it is pressing for myself to discover if it is beneficial that they are treated with different levels of trust and with different positions throughout the prison. 

This article is mainly centered around the distrust of Huey P. Long, and his distrust of the prisoners of Angola. The governor leading before him, Ruffin G. Pleasant, and many of the Louisiana citizens, were upset with the way that Long decided to treat the prisoners from a governmental standpoint. He required that each prisoner be clad in black and white striped jumpsuits, arguably an issue that Pleasant and many others thought as disrespectful to the advancement of the prisoners. At the end of the article, there was a letter from Pleasant to Long, explaining why Pleasant believed Long did not take the prisoners' best interest to mind while in his position. He is quoted saying, "The word 'penitentiary' means a place where the guilty may have an opportunity to become penitent ... Not every convict is altogetherbad. In fact, very few of them are wholly evil. Many a one has a lot of good in him. It is the duty of the state to develop that good" (Pleasant). This article is a source backing up the treatment and trust of the prisoners by a government official; the author of this article, John R. Pleasant, Jr., seems to be credible on the source by having his piece published by the Louisiana Historical Association, not to mention he is most likely related to Ruffin G. Pleasant, due to the uncommon name. 

The title of the article, "The Wildest Show in the South," implies that the article is fully about the Angola Rodeo, an event held annually that is showcased by prisoners. Though the author generally leads back to that main idea of the rodeo, she also writes about different facts experienced within visiting the prison, like her experiences being at the market where prisoners can sell their own pieces of craftwork that they make on sight. Jessica Adams, the author, is credible because she visited the Angola prison, researched the prison museum, witnessed the prison rodeo, and studied sources available. Adams proves not in favor of showcasing the prisoners in the rodeo and on tours, for she believes that it is an invasion of privacy and does not help with their overall repentance. 

The final article, entitled "The Louisiana State Penitentiary: Angola Prison Hospice," discusses the new partnership for a hospice program for Angola prison. Partnering now with University Hospital Community Hospice in New Orleans, the prison now has a way to help those prisoners who are in need of hospice care. Beforehand, there was only so much medical help that the prison could offer to its patients, for the prison was set up far away from major and minor cities in order to secure maximum security of the prisoners. Therefore, if someone on Angola's site is in need of extreme medical assistance, it is now easier for them to get better help, rather than mediocre treatment services. The article also mentions that in addition to trained professionals who help on-site, there are trusted inmates helping in the medical center, as well, another opportunity for the prisoners to be humanized in their captivity. This article was written by two certified social workers and one registered nurse, who are also affiliated with the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Prison Hospice Project in New Orleans, and the Medical Center of Louisiana. This article was published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine in August 2002, meaning there have most likely been updates to the system, but it is still fairly recent. 

My research question is an arguable topic, for I have already encountered different opinions on whether or not prisoners should be given this kind of trust in this way, even though most of the prisoners will never get out of Angola. Some people believe it is not fair to the prisoners to be displayed in the way they are, or they think that if one of those prisoners were to be released, since they would not have the same structure and confinement, they could be released back to their old ways. However, some people believe it is good for the inmates to be allowed to do more than in a regular prison and be able to practice many different traits throughout their time there, which could positively change the inmate in the long run. Through this research, however, I have had trouble finding a lot of sources on my question in specific, but I have run across many journals and articles about the hospice program, something that I will definitely look into, for it connects to my current question but has a different idea. 

