The Angola 3 | Amnesty International USA

7.1.16

The Angola 3 | Amnesty International USA: For nearly 40 years, Albert Woodfox has been held in solitary confinement, mostly in the Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola prison). Woodfox, originally convicted of an unrelated case of armed robbery, was convicted of the murder of a prison guard in 1972. Robert King and Herman Wallace, two other prisoners that make up the so-called "Angola 3," were also convicted of this murder. King's conviction was overturned in 2001, and he was released after 29 years of isolation. Wallace was released in 2013, shortly before his death.

Throughout his prolonged incarceration in Closed Cell Restriction (CCR) Woodfox has endured very restrictive conditions, including periods of 23 hour cell confinement. Louisiana prison authorities have failed to meaningfully review hsi continued isolation, simply rubberstamping the original decision to confine the men in CCR. Decades of solitary confinement have had a clear psychological effect on Woodfox, and he suffers from serious health problems caused or made worse by his years of close confinement.