Rights behind bars
All press coverage
Every article, broadcast, and mention of RBB’s work in the press.
Editorial: Yes, Angola inmates deserve protection from the heat, too
Editorial Board, The Times-Picayune
During Louisiana’s sweltering summer months, everyone seeks respite from the blistering sun in any way they can… Yet, until recently, inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola were expected to work harvesting corn, okra and other crops in the prison’s fields with few protections, even as temperatures reached into the 90s.
Judge’s order requires Farm Line ‘be treated with human decency’
Bernard Smith, The Lens
For the second consecutive year, a federal judge tells the DOC to provide Farm Line workers with protections from the sweltering Louisiana heat.
Prisoners in Angola's farm line must get special precautions in high heat, judge rules
Andrea Gallo, NOLA.com
A federal judge ruled Friday that officials at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola must again take special precautions to protect inmates who work in the prison's fields during high temperatures, rebuking a new state policy that raised the temperature necessary for inmates to receive such measures.
As summer nears, Angola Farm Line workers again demand more protections against heat
Nick Chrastil, The Lens
Since prisoners challenged conditions on the Farm Line, state officials have implemented policies making them even worse, lawyers contend.
Judge orders changes to Louisiana prison labor program likened to ‘19th century slavery’
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, The Appeal
Incarcerated laborers on Angola’s Farm Line face “substantial risk of injury or death” during extreme heat, a federal judge ruled this week, ordering corrections officials to make policy changes to “preserve human health and safety.”
Federal court hears argument to stop farm work at Angola prison in Louisiana in high heat
Bonnie Bolden and Da'Shawn Johnson, BRProud
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A federal judge heard arguments on a motion to stop using the Farm Line at Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly called Angola, during the high summer heat in Louisiana.
Advocates ask federal judge to keep prisoners out of Angola fields on the year's hottest days
Abigail Whitam, WBRZ
BATON ROUGE — Advocates for inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary asked a federal judge Tuesday to keep prisoners out of the Angola complex's massive agriculture fields during the hottest days of the year.
Lawsuit challenges forced agricultural labor at Angola
Marlo Lacen, KTAL News
A lawsuit was filed against the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Prison Enterprises that challenges the forced agricultural labor practices at the Louisiana State Penitentiary known as Angola.
Prison reform groups file lawsuit claiming Angola’s ‘Farm Line’ is unconstitutional
Jennsen Bentley, Big Easy Magazine
The Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) and Rights Behind Bars, two nonprofit advocacy groups, filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Prison Enterprises challenging the practice of forced agricultural labor at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, or Angola.