The men, most of whom are Black, work on the farm of the 18,000-acre maximum-security prison known as Angola -- the site of a former slave plantation -- hoeing, weeding and picking crops by hand, often surrounded by armed guards, the suit said. If they refuse to work or fail to meet quotas, they can be sent to solitary confinement or otherwise punished, according to disciplinary guidelines.
"This labor serves no legitimate penological or institutional purpose," the suit said. "It’s purely punitive, designed to ’break’ incarcerated men and ensure their submission."
It names as defendants Angola’s warden, Timothy Hooper, and officials with Louisiana’s department of corrections and its money-making arm, Prison Enterprises.
Related: How the Angola prison rodeo brings together inmates, community members