As daily temperatures hit record highs across much of the South, a federal judge has taken an unusual step, challenging the treatment of mostly Black incarcerated workers in the fields. America’s largest maximum-security prison, known as Angola, sits on 18,000 acres in Louisiana. It was once a slave plantation. Prisoners have toiled on the same farm lines since after emancipation, often without shade, adequate work breaks or even sunscreen. Several incarcerated workers along with an advocacy group filed a class-action lawsuit calling for an end to the farm line. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month accusing correctional officials of showing “deliberate indifference” to the risks of injuries or death of incarcerated workers.
