Angola’s Angst: A disquieting tour through the largest maximum security prison in the nation

Published by The Bitter Southerner January 21, 2020

By Beth Shelburne

The flowers around the entrance are deceptive, like a bunch of bright party balloons tied to the gates of an asylum. Purple, yellow and white pansies, red petunias, and burgundy violas with a gold center. They are planted in tight clusters around the brick sign, the only vibrant color for miles, other than velvety green grass that rolls in every direction, and crayon red letters on the sign. 

Beyond the sign are the unmistakable hallmarks of our modern penal system: bland, piss-colored buildings, fencing topped with razor wire, uniformed officers, a watchtower. But also, land. Vast, grassy land spreads between the prison buildings and out as far as the eye can see, with institutional architecture visible all the way to the horizon, giving the sense that Angola is never-ending, a jail that stretches into infinity.