The Red Hat Cell Block is a former prison housing unit of the

Louisiana State Penitentiary The Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", "The Angola Plantation" and "The Farm"Sutton, Keith "Catfish".Out There: Angola angling. ''ESPN Outdoors''. May 31, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. ...

West Feliciana Parish West Feliciana Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Feliciana Ouest''; Spanish: ''Parroquia de Feliciana Occidental'') is a civil parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,310. The parish seat is St. F ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

which, for a time, also contained the state's execution chamber and electric chair. After a 1933 escape attempt, prison authorities constructed a new prisoner cell block,Harper, Stephen J. ''Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story''.

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

, 2007
36
Retrieved from

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on March 14, 2011. , . a one-story, 30-cell building at Camp E. That cell block, which became the most restrictive inmate housing unit in Angola, was colloquially referred to as "Red Hat",20030228.htm
"

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. February 28, 2003. Retrieved on March 13, 2011. after the red paint-coated straw hats that its occupants wore when they worked in the fields.Biggs, Brooke Shelby.
Camp J, Red Hats, and the Hole
" '' Mother Jones''. March 5, 2009. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. After a federal court ordered Louisiana prison authorities to enact reforms at Angola, Warden C. Murray Henderson phased out "Red Hat", and in 1972 Elayn Hunt had "Red Hat" officially closed.Sinclair, Billy and Jodie Sinclair. ''A Life in the Balance: the Billy Wayne Sinclair Story''.

Arcade Publishing Arcade Publishing is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American book publisher Skyhorse Publishing, Skyhorse. Founded in 1988 by Richard Seaver and his wife Jeannette, it was originally an independent company publishing trade fiction and no ...

, 2000
131
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on October 28, 2010. , Red Hat became a dog kennel. In 1977 Camp J took "Red Hat"'s role as the most restrictive housing unit in Angola. On February 20, 2003, the

listed the Red Hat Cell Block on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as #03000041.

Composition

Red Hat had thirty prison cells. Each cell measured by ; a solid steel door was the point of entry and egress. Each cell had a window near the cell's roof for ventilation; prison guards controlled a steel flap located at each cell window. Each cell housed an iron bunk without a mattress. To urinate and defecate, prisoners used a steel bucket that was emptied every morning. Four

guard tower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

s were in proximity to Red Hat; guards in those towers had orders to "shoot to kill."

Inmate life

Brooke Shelby Biggs of '' Mother Jones'' said that men who had lived in "Red Hat" "told of a dungeon crawling with rats, where dinner was served in stinking buckets splashed onto the floors." The food consumed by Red Hat prisoners was leftovers from the cafeteria serving the rest of Camp E. The leftovers were placed in wheelbarrows and given to the Red Hat prisoners. Some prisoners were not wearing clothes while confined to their cells.Ashton, Linda. "Louisiana Inmates Blame Unrest on Governor : Roemer's Stinginess With Clemency Has Created 'Time Bomb,' Lifers Claim" ''

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'' at the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''. July 23, 1989
2
Retrieved on March 22, 2011.

References

{{reflist Louisiana State Penitentiary Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Prisons on the National Register of Historic Places Government buildings completed in 1935 National Register of Historic Places in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana 1935 establishments in Louisiana

Composition

Inmate life

See also

References