United States · Louisiana · Angola

Louisiana State Penitentiary

State prisonMaximummaleClosed 1917Under capacity (96%)LowHigh

Verified 2 Jun 2026 · Data dated 1 Apr 2024

Fresh · 29d ago

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

For families

How to send mail, money, and visit Louisiana State Penitentiary

Step-by-step guidance using the United States system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

Open toolkit

Photograph of Louisiana State Penitentiary

Gallery

From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).

Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. New Orleans Term. 1888 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Louisiana State Penitentiary is a state prison located in West Feliciana County, Louisiana. Rated capacity: 6,312. Reported population: 6,073. Security level: Maximum. Data sourced from the HIFLD Prison Boundaries open dataset.

Background

The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a maximum-security prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum-security correctional facility in the United States, with 5,000 prisoners and 1,800 staff, including corrections officers, janitors, maintenance workers, social workers, nurses, educators, deputy wardens, and the warden himself. The current warden is Darrel Vannoy, who was appointed to the role in 2024, after having previously served as warden between 2016 and 2021, following long-time warden Burl Cain's resignation. Located in West Feliciana Parish, the correctional facility is set between oxbow lakes on the east side of a bend of the Mississippi River and thus flanked on three sides by water. It lies less than two miles (three kilometers) south of Louisiana's straight eastâwest border with Mississippi.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Capacity

6,312

Current population

6,073

Occupancy

96%

Year opened

1901

Closed 1917

Facility profile

Operator

Louisiana Department of Corrections

Population held

male

Opened

1901

Region

Louisiana

Security level

Maximum

Death-row facility

Conditions

Prison farms have drawn criticism for low-wage labour and conditions analogous to the post-Reconstruction plantation system.

Visiting

Saturdays, Sundays, and selected weekdays. Approved visitors list. No phones, electronics, or excessive cash.

Mailing

Inmate Name & DOC#, Louisiana State Penitentiary, 17544 Tunica Trace, Angola, LA 70712.

Practical info

Inmate Welfare Fund accepts deposits via JPay. The Angolite â one of the longest-running inmate publications.

Known issues

Multiple long-running federal lawsuits over death row conditions and 'closed-cell restriction' use.

Notable inmates

Gary Tyler
1958 · textile artist
Gary Tyler (born July 19, 1958), from St.
Antonio James
1954–1996
Antonio G.
Albert Woodfox
1947–2022 · activist
Leslie Dale Martin
1967–2002
Leslie Dale Martin (April 24, 1967 â May 10, 2002) was an American convicted murderer who was executed by the state of Louisiana for the June 1991 rape and murder of 19-year-old Christina Burgin.
Gerald Bordelon
1962–2010
Gerald James Bordelon (February 19, 1962 â January 7, 2010) was an American convicted murderer and sex offender who was executed in Louisiana for murder.
Feltus Taylor
1962–2000
Feltus Taylor Jr.
Elmo Patrick Sonnier
1950–1984
Elmo Patrick "Pat" Sonnier (February 21, 1950 â April 5, 1984) was a convicted American murderer and rapist in Louisiana who was executed by electrocution at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Louisiana on April 5, 1984.