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Life is like a Day at the Amusement Park.At the end of that day, we all have to leave the park. No one is exempt from that. We all die sooner or later, and, until then, we are stuck in this park for better and for worse.This park is filled with rides, with thrills, chills, with horror rides, exciting rides and very relaxing rides.You have an entire day to spend here in whatever form you see fit! This park is gigantic and it is all yours to explore!And while the world is filled to the brim with a variety of rides and experiences to make, most of us go through complaining at every little thing.Of course you can complain about every line you have to wait in, about the sun being too hot or too cold, about the food or the difficulty of certain rides, but it isn’t going to make your time in here any longer!You will still only have this one day, so why waste it being so negative?We can chose, at any point in time, to enjoy where we are or to hate it. We can choose to throw our hands in the air at every ride or to go at it all with a frown on our face.This is as true for the park, as it is for life!The lesson here is that Life only has to be as serious as you make it out to be!No matter what we do, we have to leave this life sooner or later, so we might as well enjoy it while we can!And yes, some rides will be awful.They will be scary, fast, and will go down far further than they go back up.We will be thrown for a loop, go up and down, around and around and around, and our heads might spin so much that we puke from all the stress.There will be long waits for these parts of life, and sometimes the price you pay to go on the ride, or to enter that part of your life, will be way too high.But nonetheless the day at this amusement park can be incredible fun!It can be enticing, exciting and you can love the thrill of it all.When the rides go down you can throw your hands up in the air and when things throw you for a loop you can scream in terrified joy!Your heart will pound at times of stress, sometimes you will want to leave, but whether or not you enjoy it is still up to you!You can enjoy every ride you go on, pick your favorites, go on the same rides over and over again, you can go on horror rides or exciting ones or really relaxing ones, and you can make this day at the park exactly what you want it to be like.And it is the exact same thing for your life.In life you will encounter some scary situations. You will be thrown for a loop, your life will go downhill more than it will go up and it sometimes seems to hit you all at once.Sometimes you feel like you are going in circles and other times you feel so much stress that you just want to throw up. You have to work hard for some of the goals and there is always a price to pay for everything you do.But nonetheless your life can be fun!You can enjoy the downhill moments in your life and throw your hands up in the air as your life turns to crap, because it is nothing you cannot handle.You can get excited for each and every day, or you can cling onto your seat and complain about the day ahead, but either way, the day is yours to spend as you wish, just like the ride is yours to choose!The point is that no matter which option you choose, you still have to spend this day at the amusement park; you still have this life to live.How much you enjoy it depends on you!

Louisiana State Penitentiary - WikipediaLouisiana State Penitentiary is currently the biggest prison in the United States. Some 6,000 people currently reside there — roughly 1 in a 1,000 people living in the state — and very few of them today are ever expected to leave alive.However, it was not always like that, as the reader will find out at they read along and see for themselves how the laws in the state have changed over the centuries; altering the nature of Angola with it.Since 1979, all life sentences in Louisiana have been without parole, and Louisiana’s sentencing laws have become by far the harshest in the country. To find out more about why this is the case, I invite all interested readers to read the history of the biggest, most infamous and terrifying prisons in American history.INTRODUCTIONOn June 23, 1834, a man by the name of Samuel Lawrence James was born in the state of Louisiana. When the American Civil War broke out, he served in the 6th Louisiana Infantry Regiment before being discharged at the end of the war.https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6199000/samuel-lawrence-jamesWhile his early life may seem insignificant, his later life would become notable as being more or less the official founder of the Louisiana State Penitentiary — a penitentiary that has been attributed various names over the years ranging from Angola, Alcatraz of the South, and even ‘the Farm.’Hundreds of thousands of people have come in and out of its prison throughout the years — either by being given freedom in the form of parole, or in the form of death.The personal experiences of what inmates and even guards have reportedly witnessed firsthand over the last century-and-a-half has varied depending on crime, race, social status, religion and even what era we are talking about.Despite the fact that Louisiana State Penitentiary is today more well-known for its rodeo shows, added by the fact that it is by far the largest penitentiary in the United States as opposed to its historic roots of being a fairly degrading prison plantation — the advantages and disadvantages of being incarcerated in one of the world’s most infamous prisons depends on what you value more: your comfort — or your freedom.LOUISIANA IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WARBy the 1860’s, the world was becoming more industrialised, and with tractors becoming cheaper and more common, the use of slave labour was regarded as outdated by modest reformers — to outright barbaric by those on the more “progressive” side of the slavery issue.Tractor - WikipediaContrary to popular belief, slavery did not end after the war, as it remained permissible for some years afterwards for states that had either fought for the Union, or Confederate territories that were captured by the Union prior to the Emancipation Proclamation coming into effect on January 1, 1863.Myths & Misunderstandings: The Emancipation ProclamationTop 5 myths about Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation150 years later, myths persist about the Emancipation ProclamationThe state of Tennessee was also given an exemption when Andrew Johnson — Abraham Lincoln’s vice-president — was able to petition the president to make a temporary exception for Tennessee on the grounds that forcing the state to give up its slave labour would bring the state into economic ruin.Andrew Johnson and Emancipation in Tennessee - Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)Emancipation Proclamation Didn’t Free Tennessee SlavesAlso exempted from the Emancipation Proclamation were certain territories within Louisiana — where the majority of this article will be focused on — including cities such as New Orleans, which had been captured on May 1, 1862 after a six day battle, and thus was not impacted by the Emancipation Proclamation.Despite the widespread belief that without the American Civil War, slavery would never have been abolished: slavery in the American south was not at its zenith in 1860 but was actually in decline.Even with the overall population growing in the south between 1840–1860 — the number of slaves actually declined in respect to the general population.1840 United States Census - Wikipedia1850 United States Census - Wikipedia1860 United States Census - WikipediaFurthermore, there were actually fewer slaves working in agriculture by 1860 than there had been in 1840, despite the population growth, as most slaves were by this time being sent to work in industrial labour where slave owners could expect to make a better profit, thanks in large to the invention of the tractor, which was becoming more common by the eve of the American Civil War.THE BIRTH OF ‘THE FARM’Samuel James Lawrence would himself fight for the state of Louisiana during the war and was an officer in the 6th Louisiana Infantry Regiment. He survived, and upon acquiring land on the site of the modern Angola Penitentiary, the state agreed to lease criminal offenders under his wing to continue the agriculture work that the emancipated slaves had once carried out.With most areas being forced to surrender their slaves at the end of the war: Samuel, alongside many other individuals living in the state at the time, found themselves in a plight where they felt there weren’t enough “volunteers” to continue doing agricultural labour — something that the south has historically relied on.Despite the fact that traditional slavery was by this time dying even in countries such as South America, where slavery was still stronger than it had been in the Confederate states — with Brazil being the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888 — acquiring tractors was still expensive, and the state needed to give prisoners a justifiable reason to incarcerate them.Above: Angola Barracks In 1901In 1901 — after Samuel Lawrence had been deceased for seven years — the state claimed the prison from his son: reintroducing the Louisiana State Penitentiary under the direct authority of the state.As a result, the state continued to allow those convicted of criminal offences to be forcefully sent to work the fields around Angola until only or more of the following occurred:Their sentence was completedThey were granted paroleThey were given a commutationThey were pardonedTheir sentence — for one reason or the other — was overturnedIn 1870, when Angola’s prison population began to climb, more than two-thirds of its prisoners were white. Among the other one-third were black people, alongside a smaller number of Native Americans.As the century progressed, prisoners found themselves being permitted to have jobs other than farming. Some of them included the possibility of working in repairs, such as fixing the infrastructure on the prison grounds.Prisoners that were on good behaviour, had a decent education, or were considered to be unfit for hard labour were often times tasked with preparing meals, cleaning the barracks and cells that prisoners slept in, taking care of the farm animals, or even being given a rifle as a guard’s assistant if you were able to gain the trust of the prison authorities.In the latter example, most prisoners — especially if they knew they had a target on their back from other prisoners — tried to get a job working as a guard’s assistant so that they could have a weapon to protect themselves, in addition to being under the constant, watchful eye of the other prison guards. Assistant guards were usually seen walking behind the real guards, with a few of them even being given the opportunity to work in one of the prison’s towers, where the chances of being attacked or even killed in an ambush from another prisoner was heavily reduced.Above: Guard At Angola Prison In The Early Twentieth CenturyThe Trusty System, which was first introduced in Mississippi before being further implemented other states such as Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, New York, and — of course, Louisiana — allowed prisons to have fewer staff members by having prison wardens appoint prisoners who would often times do the types of jobs that traditional prison guards carried out. This also meant disciplining, scolding, beating, whipping or even shooting a prisoner trying to escape or is seen to be causing a great disturbance.Trusty system (prison) - WikipediaIt was not until 1974 that the Trusty System was abolished in Gates v. Collier when federal judge William C. Keady found that the system was not only ineffective in maintaining proper order among prisoners, but that it also allowed for prisoners given the job of working as guards to be able to abuse other prisoners more wilfully, even if the Trusty System was, in theory, only given to prisoners considered by the warden to be trustworthy.Gates v. Collier - WikipediaLIFE IN THE EARLY YEARSWhile it is true that the conditions of prisons could be quite awful, there is one significant difference that differs from prisons in those days versus prisons today: the amount of time spent in them.Today, Louisiana’s sentencing laws make it quite clear that a life sentence means just that: being incarcerated until the day you die with no chance of parole or commutation — save for the very unlikely chance a governor might rescind your sentence.However, this was a very different case a hundred or even fifty years ago. Unlike today, lifers in Louisiana — like in other states at the time — had a release date for which prisoners serving a “life” sentence could look forward to.Even before Angola was created, the state of Louisiana already allowed good time behaviour for prisoners who were cooperative and hardworking. The law was officially introduced in 1842, and it permitted a prisoner to receive a sentence reduction of their sentence by up to two-thirds from the sentence given during their sentencing trial.Parole board regulations were also far less stringent in those days, and prisoners who were able to win recommendation of release from the prison warden were typically released by the parole board even before serving one-third of their original sentence.During Francis Nicholls’s term as governor, a law enacted in 1890 specified that a person serving a life sentence could not be incarcerated beyond 15 years, unless it could be reasonably ascertained that a prisoner was still dangerous even by then. As a result, lifers had a very specific date for which they would be released, with the likelihood that they would be released even earlier if they remained on good behaviour.Above: Prisoners Picking Cotton At Angola Prison — Circa 1900Despite the fact that the law introduced in 1890 made it so that a lifer in Louisiana would not be incarcerated beyond 15 years — with dangerous offenders being the exception to this rule — in practice, such laws were already the norm, as prisoners in the state at the time rarely served more than a decade of their life sentence before being released, with many of them being released much sooner than that.Until 1916, Louisiana did not have a life sentence — save for those whose death sentences were later commuted, or those who accepted a life sentence in exchange for a death sentence — which meant that prisoners were typically released after serving a certain number of years in prison, which was usually one-third of the sentence given to them at trial.While life sentences in Louisiana at the time were technically served without parole, the parole board or governor usually commuted a sentence within a few years of being sentenced. Among those convicted of first degree murder, it was usually expected that if one remained on good behaviour for five years, that their life sentence would be commuted to fifteen years.And since parole came after completing one-third of their sentence, this meant that a first degree murderer who had already served five of their fifteen year sentence was able to apply to the parole board and were usually released soon afterwards.THE 10/6 ERAIn 1926, Governor Henry Fuqua — who died in office later that same year — was governor at a time when a new amendment to Louisiana’s criminal code was introduced. It permitted all lifers who were not given a commutation of their sentence by a parole board or governor to be able to apply for parole after serving at least 10 years and 6 months of their life sentence.Angola inmates are taught life skills, then spend their lives behind barshttps://books.google.ca/books?id=8RwVCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA228&lpg=PA228&dq=10+years+6+months+life+sentence+louisiana+1926&source=bl&ots=84QyJ7kYH7&sig=7abBGzX5qdGNIw7IZI7EKybVR1w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjT6O2FgPHdAhWOwFkKHSyiCd8Q6AEwAHoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=10%20years%206%20months%20life%20sentence%20louisiana%201926&f=falseThe introduction of the law coincided with the 1916 reforms a decade earlier that saw the number of crimes punishable with life imprisonment in the state expanded. It therefore made it so that those lifers whose sentences had not been commuted by a governor or parole board would soon be able to apply for parole, anyway, with the expectation that they would serve the remainder of their life on parole — barring a later pardon by a governor.Above: Governor Henry FuquaHenry L. Fuqua - WikipediaBy 1942, even a fourth conviction of larceny was punishable with life imprisonment, as was a single count of grand theft. While this may seem harsh when placed in the context of modern life sentences that tend to last for several decades or even natural life: at the time the law was introduced, it was already clarified that a life sentence was unlikely to exceed a decade, even for the most hardened offenders. Furthermore, life sentences during this era were typically discretionary, and were rarely handed down for offences other than first degree murder.https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1342&context=lalrev&httpsredir=1&referer=Regardless of Louisiana’s sentencing laws which nearly always had a release date, added by the fact that a prisoner could get the majority of their prison sentence taken off through good behaviour — Angola’s prison conditions were nonetheless harsh enough that many offenders would break down at sentencing, with a few reported cases of prisoners committing suicide before they could be transferred there.However, it should be mentioned that while Angola was regarded as a dreadful place to be, it was not so much because of the conditions of the prisons itself, but the fact that Angola’s system made it very easy for prisoners to become vulnerable to violence carried out by other inmates.CARNAGE AT ANGOLAIt was not uncommon for prisoners sharing a cell to be forced to stay awake while the other slept. And if it was later found that the prisoner who was supposed to be on watch fell asleep, they were often times beaten by their cellmate in retaliation.During the nineteenth and most of the twentieth century, the average person lived a lifestyle that was comparably much lower than most people today. Running toilets were not commonly seen in homes until the World War Two era, which meant that most prisoners were not overly shocked to find that their prisons were likely to use latrines or even an empty hole or bucket as a toilet.Prisons where prisoners had only a bucket were forced to scrub their bucket with soap in the morning before falling in line to eat breakfast. While it may be seen as quite degrading by modern standards, it was fairly common for most living in low-income backgrounds and even middle-class backgrounds to be forced to routinely clean out their latrines even if they were not themselves incarcerated.Even Tom Hanks’s character in the Green Mile — who was himself a prison guard at Angola during the 1930’s — did not have a running toilet at home, and look where that got him:Above: If Only The Latrine Were A Few Feet Closer!Nonetheless, upon the conclusion of the Second World War, standards of living did begin to see a drastic improvement — for those who were not incarcerated. By the start of the 1950’s, the standard of living between prisoners and “freemen” was becoming so palpable that many prisoners even took to committing suicide in protest or trying to escape from the prison in hopes that they could tell their story to news reporters before being recaptured.NOTABLE INCIDENTSTwo major incidents occurred during this period — one in 1952 and the other in 1956 — which saw Angola’s reputation as the “Worst Prison in America” take a whole new spotlight as reporters from around the world began to obsesses over the seemingly “medieval” system found within the barriers of the prison ground.In the first example, no fewer than 31 prisoners were seen cutting their Achilles tendons in a mass protest against the conditions of their incarceration, which were by this time being exceedingly regarded as atrocious.Above: Prisoners Of Angola Labouring At A Shipbuilding Site — 1910Achilles tendon - WikipediaWhile the 1952 incident was not as widely reported at the time — owing largely to the fact that the incident happened within Angola where outsiders were unlikely to hear about it — the second incident is likely what really ignited the start of a long process that would gradually see Angola’s prison transform from what it had been throughout most of its history, into what it has become today.On December 5, 1956, five men: Robert Wallace 25, Wallace McDonald 23, Vernon Roy Ingram 21, Glenn Holiday 20 and Frank Verbon Gann 30, escaped from Angola by swimming their way out of the state through the Mississippi River.A manhunt for them was instantly carried out upon their disappearances coming to the attention of prison authorities. Soon afterwards, the body of twenty-five year old Robert Wallace was found in the river — presumably by drowning.Above: Alcatraz Escapees: John Anglin; Clarence Anglin; Frank MorrisHowever, out of the five men who escaped from Angola, only Wallace McDonald was found — in Texas. According to McDonald, he had temporarily settled in Mexico until the manhunt had cooled down. Afterwards, he tried to relocate in neighbouring Texas in hopes of eluding the authorities.A Plantation Called Angola, by Rita MonetteDespite McDonald insisting that the other three escapees had themselves died alongside Robert Wallace in the Mississippi River, this was not taken seriously by the majority of those investigating the case — including then-Angola warden Maurice Sigler, who had become the prison’s warden the same year that the 31 inmates had crippled themselves.The evidence used to prove that the escapees were alive was a triple pair of tracks found shortly after the escape leading into a mountainous range. As a result, the other three escapees — while never found — have also never been declared dead; and under current American law, a missing prisoner is not legally declared dead until they reach their 99th birthday: meaning that the escapees in this case, like the June 11, 1962 escapees from Alcatraz — brothers John and Clarence Anglin, as well as Frank Morris — are still being searched to this day and could be re-imprisoned if captured.Above: Angola Prisoners Performing A Funeral Service For A Deceased InmateANGOLA PRISON’S FIRST MODERN REFORMSDuring the 1960’s and 1970’s, prison conditions started to gain precedent as a national crisis that needed to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Lyndon Johnson was himself a radical supporter of prison reforms, and he even sought out to reduce recidivism by first improving the educational standards in prison, as well as encouraging the use of furloughs and day parole on a bigger scale nationwide — while simultaneously trying to improve the standards of living for low-income individuals and families who were themselves more likely to get caught up in crime.While the conditions in Angola did see some slight improvement during this period, it was still regarded as one of the worst prisons to be locked up in. By 1975, Angola’s prison conditions were regarded as so appalling in comparison to the majority of other prisons that were seeing improvement during this period, that District Judge Frank Polozola declared the prison itself to be a national emergency and at risk of being placed under federal authorities if the authorities at Angola could not satisfy his decision within a certain time frame.Prison authorities more or less complied, and by 1980, prison conditions had been a somewhat improved standard of living compared to a few years earlier. However, despite the fact that Angola — also known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary — was beginning to evolve from a former plantation prison to a more modern prison with better living arrangements for the prisoners: it was also during this time period that Louisiana, alongside the majority of other states, would embark on a set of new sentencing laws that would result in the “tough on crime” era that is still ongoing today.ANGOLA BECOMES A PERMANENT HOMEIn 1970, there were only 143 prisoners serving a life sentence throughout the entire state, and not all of them were located at Angola, as a handful of lifers were given the privilege of working in Governor John McKeithen’s mansion, where living conditions were much better, and where prisoners stood a better chance of being granted a pardon or commutation.Days Without End: Life Sentences and Penal ReformThe Meaning Of “Life”: Long Prison Sentences in ContextThe bulk of the 143 lifers incarcerated in Louisiana in 1970 would be freed by the end of the decade, as lifers who had not been given a commutation or pardon still found themselves being released on parole under a life sentence after completing ten years and six months of their life sentence.Above: Angola Prisoners Burying A Deceased InmateIt is believed that by 1980, fewer than 50 of the 143 lifers who had been incarcerated in 1970 were still imprisoned, and that by 1984, the number had further dropped down to 31. However, it was these 31 lifers who soon found out the hard way that they would not be going home after a decade — in fact, for most of them, they would NEVER be leaving the prison alive. EVER!Several of these lifers would later admit that when they were given a life sentence, they were expecting to be freed within a decade, even when it came to those convicted of multiple murders.One of them said he was told to plead guilty and accept the life sentence, because the sentencing judge explained to him that with good behaviour, he would be out of prison within a decade. Believing that he would soon be out of prison, he therefore accepted and decided to plead guilty, rather than going through a jury trial.While the birth of the 1970’s saw the sentencing laws in Louisiana being seemingly unchanged compared to previous decades: it was also during this time period that Angola would go from a temporary stay to a cemetery, with the number of lifers blossoming from 143 lifers in 1970 to over 6,000 today — and this does not include the growing number of lifers serving sentences so long that they are unlikely to live long enough to complete it; nor does it include the growing number of prisoners who might be serving multiple decades in prison — often times for crimes that would once have been punishable with fines, community service or a small stint in a local jail.Even though it was rare for even first degree murderers to serve more than ten years in Angola before being able to walk through the gates towards freedom: the last half century has seen a changing attitude among many criminologists as well as members of the public who have largely decided that henceforth, lifers in the state would only have one means to escape their life sentence, and it is not one that too many lifers would find… ideal.END OF THE 10/6 ERA — BIRTH OF THE LIFE ERAIt is not a coincidence that during the 1970’s and 1980’s, prison conditions began to gradually improve, as it was also during this time that legislatures began imposing new laws that would make sentencing laws much harsher nationwide than they had previously been.This also meant that the debate on prison conditions became a more pressing matter, as prisoners were no longer being kept there for short periods of time, but were in fact now lingering away for years over offences that previous generations of inmates would have been released after a comparably shorter period of time.Contrary to the misconception that prisoners spent their lives incarcerated in medieval-style dungeons: the majority of prisoners were not kept in prison for periods of time approximating even close to a natural life sentence — even when they themselves had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court.The origins of life imprisonment dates back to ancient times and became more common during the medieval ages as an alternative to the death penalty. Therefore, life imprisonment was seen as somewhat of a reversal of the death penalty, as being given life imprisonment meant being spared from death.Above: History Of Angola DocumentaryAs a result, life imprisonment was seen as a form of mercy, as it prevented a condemned individual from possibly facing the gallows. There was no specified regulations as to how long a lifer would remain incarcerated in the medieval era, as it depended entirely on nationality, and sometimes jurisdiction.Some prisoners were granted early release as a form of clemency from the monarch, while others were permitted to leave prison on a part-time basis as a reward for good behaviour. This type of system can still be found in some modern European countries, and it was also commonly used in the modern United States — with Louisiana being no exception to that rule.Prisoners could often times be granted the right to live outside of prison at nighttime and on holidays. For instance, would-be famous country singer Russell Pete Williams had fatally shot a man four times early in his career in 1956 and was charged and convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.Robert Pete Williams - WikipediaHowever, in December 1958, after serving two years of his life sentence, the parole board decided to commute his sentence down to twelve years after a combination of requests from the public for his release and his low-risk offender status were taken into consideration.For the remaining decade of his sentence, Williams was ordered to spend 80 hours a week at Angola working on the Angola farm. He was also forbidden from leaving the state without permission, and he would only be given room and board as compensation for his labour.Second degree murderers on good behaviour during this era rarely spent a long period of time in prison before being given at least some respite in the form of day parole and/or furlough, which made it easier for prisoners to adapt outside of prison upon being granted full parole, in addition to making it easier for a prisoner to find employment and remain in touch with their friends and family.Above: Angola Inmates Performing During A RodeoLIFE MEANS LIFE… FOR ALL!Until 1973, it was rare for even the worst offenders in Louisiana to spend more than a decade in prison, as Louisiana had what was known as the 10/6 rule, which had been adopted in 1926. It stipulated that a life sentence in Louisiana would make the maximum time a prisoner could spend in prison — with the exception that they were considered to be highly dangerous — 10 years and 6 months, with the rest of their “life” sentence being served on parole.However, starting in 1973, Louisiana — which had already been in the process of introducing harsher sentencing laws as early as 1971 — abolished parole for all future offenders convicted of treason and first degree murder. Furthermore, this law was only to apply if the offender’s death sentence had been commuted, as Louisiana had made the death penalty mandatory that year for first degree murder, after Furman v Georgia — which had been enacted by the Supreme Court a year prior — was overturned, pending certain conditions were met.Louisiana’s new sentencing laws in 1973 also demanded that all those convicted of second degree murder from the time the law was enacted would be forced to serve a minimum of 20 years of their life sentence, and that commutation by the parole board would no longer be possible unless the governor consented to it.All those convicted of certain violent felonies, such as rape, armed robbery or drug trafficking, would themselves be forced to serve no fewer than 20 years of a determinate sentence, or 20 years of a life sentence before parole or commutation became a possibility.Above: 1998 Documentary On Angola PrisonIn 1975, just two years after the first set of laws were introduced, a new law doubled the minimum sentence that second degree murderers had to serve from 20 years to 40 years. Offences other than murder were also given mandatory life sentences — such as aggravated rape, certain types of drug offences, as well as violent felons previously convicted of another offence.Lifers who had been sentenced for crimes dating before the laws came into effect still benefited from the old laws, due to the United States at the time having laws against retroactive sentencing if it did not play in the prisoner’s favour.This meant that first degree murderers sentenced for an offence dating before 1973 were still expected to be released within a decade — pending good behaviour — while second degree murderers sentenced before 1973 might get a suspended sentence or a life sentence with a 20 year minimum if they were convicted of second degree murder between 1973–1975.For the next four years, the laws introduced in Louisiana in 1975 remained more or less untouched, other than Louisiana being forced to allow jurors and judges the option of giving a death sentence or life sentence to those convicted of first degree murder after Woodson v. North Carolina ruled the mandatory death penalty as being unconstitutional.Above: “A Decade Behind Bars” — Part Two Of The 1997 Documentary Above. Note: A Decade Is What A Typical Life Sentence Once Meant In LouisianaIn 1977, Louisiana abolished the death penalty for rape when Coker v. Georgia ruled that it was unconstitutional to sentence someone to death for rape, if the victim did not die as a direct result of it. The sentences of those on death row for rape in the state at the time had their sentences commuted to 20 years; the irony, is that several of those convicted of rape during this period and not given the death penalty were instead given prison sentences as long as 100 years, as Louisiana was by this time also introducing laws that allowed for consecutive sentences to be given, or for an infinite number of years to be imposed for crimes where life imprisonment (or the death penalty) was still a possibility.On July 14, 1979, Louisiana’s final nail in the coffin came quite literally when the law mandated that all life sentences in the state, regardless of the offence committed, be served without parole or commutation. The law also abolished the right for future offenders serving life sentences or those not serving life sentences but had not yet served one-third of their given sentence to be released on day parole or furlough.Above: Angola Prison Documentary — 2017Even more consequential for those in prison at the time, was that the law was in fact applied retroactively. This meant that lifers who were given parole eligibility at the time of their sentencing trial suddenly found themselves being sentenced to serve a very literal life sentence that left little to no hope of escaping from.Many of them did not realise that the law had been applied retroactively until years later when some of them went to the parole board with the assumption that they could apply for release, now that their minimum sentence had been completed. Not surprisingly, they would have become quite mortified to realise that the term “life means life” would not only apply to lifers sentenced after 1979, but to lifers sentenced before that date as well.In order to get around the loophole of retroactive sentencing, the Louisiana Parole Board declared that parole eligible lifers would only be permitted to apply for parole once the parole laws as they are currently defined are met. And since all life sentences in Louisiana have been without the possibility of parole since 1979, this meant that by default, the hundreds of offenders who had been parole eligible at the time of sentencing suddenly found themselves ineligible for parole.Above: Louisiana State Penitentiary Death RowFor a few Louisiana lifers, a new chance at paroleDespite the fact that Louisiana began imposing harsher sentencing laws throughout the decade of the 1970’s, the number of prisoners granted parole and commutation was still significant higher than it would be in later years. For instance, out of the fifty or so lifers who had been incarcerated before 1970 and were still present at Angola in 1980: fifteen of them had been unconditionally released by 1985, while four others were said to have been released on “compassionate” grounds.It was also in 1984 that the first lifers who had been sentenced for crimes dating after 1973 started to win their freedom, with eight “new” lifers being granted parole between 1984–1995; though one of them later had his parole revoked after it was found that he had violated his parole condition.Seven of the eight lifers released for offences dating after 1973 were convicted of second degree murder. An eighth offender — a woman — had been convicted of conspiracy to first degree murder with her boyfriend and was later released after her life sentence had been commuted and she completed one-third of her commuted sentence.State governors can grant parole or commutation, but it has become very rare over the last few decades for a governor to do so, and the modern parole boards have very little power themselves to grant parole or commutation.After 1995, parole for lifers ceased altogether for over a decade, with only a few lifers being released during this time on “compassionate” grounds when it was found that they were terminally ill.And for many of them, that time came long after the ten years and six month minimum life sentence they had been sentenced to had elapsed.Above: Inmate Taking Care Of Another Terminally Ill InmateEDWIN EDWARDSIt was during Edwin Edward’s first out of three non-consecutive terms in office that the laws of Louisiana were reshaped from what it once was to what it is today.Having assumed office on May 9, 1972, Edwards was a staunch proponent of the harsher sentencing legislation that had already been in the process of enactment for at least a year prior.Nobody convicted of first degree murder has ever been granted parole or commutation of their sentence whilst serving a life sentence after Edwards came into office, and none have been released since then, either.Within a year, Edwards would approve a bill that would make the death penalty mandatory for first degree murder and treason, while giving discretionary death sentences for aggravated rape. All those convicted of second degree murder would also be subjected to a mandatory life sentence without parole for twenty years.Above: Governor Edwin Edwards In Later YearsBy 1975, Louisiana’s lifer population had grown from 143 in 1970 to nearly 600 five years later. By 1979, when Louisiana officially abolished parole for all lifers, that number had risen to over 1,000 — making Louisiana the first state to have more than 1,000 prisoners serving life without parole, despite Louisiana’s population being significant smaller than other states such as New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas — and Texas would not introduce life without parole as a sentencing option until September 1, 2005.In fact, Louisiana was not only quite likely the first state to introduce the type of sentencing laws that have since become the norm across every other state: Louisiana was regarded as being such a pioneer in the introduction of life without parole as a mandatory death for a wide range of offences, that even by 1990 — nearly two decades after parole had been abolished for first degree murder, and over a decade since it had been abolished for all other lifers — only six other states had over 1,000 prisoners serving life without parole: California, Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan.https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Still-Life.pdfAt the time, these seven states made up the majority of those serving life without parole, as fewer than 10,000 individuals were serving such sentences nationwide in 1990, and many states had either only just begun introducing the sentence, or they had yet to introduce it.Above: Aerial View Of Louisiana State PenitentiaryFor instance, the federal government had introduced life without parole as a mandatory sentence for offences such as first degree murder on November 1, 1987, as well as a discretionary sentence for other offences. Prior to 1987, federal prisoners could only receive life without parole in commutation of a death sentence, and even then they were typically released within two decades. Other federal lifers were typically released within a decade, as federal parole — which was first introduced on June 25, 1910 — defined a life sentence as fifteen years, with the possibility of that fifteen year sentence being reduced for good behaviour.Somewhat ironically, Edwin Edwards would himself be more or less subjected to the same type of laws that he himself endorsed when he was tried by the Federal government on charges of racketeering and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. He was later released on parole — having served more than eight years of his sentence.With a criminal record, Edwards is himself ineligible for most jobs, and he also cannot run for office in his home state until at least fifteen years have elapsed from the time his sentence expired. And at the age of ninety-one, with many more years left to go before he can once again have his name on a ballot: this three time former governor is about as likely to win the vote of the public as a lifer is to win over a parole board.CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT?Half a century ago, the types of prison that were once very common would not have been regarded as cruel and unusual punishment for several reasons — some of them including:The standard of living between a prisoner and a non-prisoner of the period was not so significant as to warrant a judgement declaring the conditions to be cruel and unusualPrison sentences were much shorter than they are today; meaning that prisons were rarely regarded as a place where even those convicted of murder were likely to spend decades of their lives incarceratedSince minimum sentences either did not exist or were very low — prisoners on good behaviour had a very good chance of being granted parole by a parole boardMany prisoners did not spend all day in prison, as those who were deemed to be low-risk enough to be partially released but not low-risk enough to be granted full parole may still have been permitted day parole and furloughs — reducing the time spent in prison to weeknights only, and therefore sparing them the possibility of being locked up 24/7In 1989, Judge Frank Polozola — the same judge who had declared Angola prison to be a state emergency fourteen years earlier — made a similar judgement when it was found that some of the conditions previously brought up had not been met.Above: Judge Frank PolozolaPolozola’s decision to once again declare Angola’s prison conditions to be unreasonable came at a time when it was becoming increasingly apparent that Angola would no longer be a place where prisoners served a set amount of time, were freed, and then went on with their lives; rather, it was now becoming a place where thousands of people would go in and few would ever come back out.As a result, what may have been seen as reasonable during the 1970’s when it was still expected that prisoners would be released within a certain period of time was no regarded as such by the close of the 1980’s when Angola was becoming a permanent destination for the vast majority of those that went in.Standards of living was also increasing for the average citizen by the turn of the 1990’s — meaning that the difference in lifestyle was becoming apparent enough that it ignited some judges both within and outside the state of Louisiana to declare the conditions found in older prisons to be cruel and unusual, based on the time that prisoners were now being expected to serve.LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE IN OTHER STATESWhile Louisiana may have been one of the first states to introduce life without parole as a literal life sentence, it was by no means the first state to introduce this type of punishment into its law book.For example, Pennsylvania abolished parole for all life sentences in 1941, and ever since then, lifers in Pennsylvania have been required to apply to the state governor for commutation or pardon.Where life without parole in 1941 differs to today is the length of time someone served of a life sentence, prior to being released either through commutation or pardon.Today, life without parole tends to take on a far more literal interpretation in the United States: that someone serving life without parole will serve the rest of their lives in prison without the possibility of release, save for the direct interference of a governor who may — despite the unlikelihood — grant a pardon many decades down the road when the lifer is advanced in age and/or is terminally ill.Above: Inmate Helping Another Inmate At AngolaHowever, this was not the case in 1941 when Pennsylvania became the first jurisdiction to abolish parole for all offences taking place after the new law came into effect which resulted in a life sentence being imposed.For roughly forty years after life without parole was introduced in Pennsylvania, lifers were being routinely having their sentences commuted or even receiving an unconditional pardon from a governor. Governors in those days were known to be far more open to the idea of commuting sentences than they would be today.In January 1913 — just before leaving office — George Washington Donaghey of Arkansas even went so far as to pardon 316 prisoners in one night at a time when there were only 850 prisoners in the state; and some of them were not incarcerated in penitentiaries, but were in fact serving suspended sentences on farms where they could go home at the end of their workday.Above: George Washington DonagheyGeorge Washington Donaghey - WikipediaTo put that in perspective: that is more than what Bill Clinton commuted as governor over two terms when the prison population had grown and had been incarcerated for longer periods of time. Quite ironically, up until the eve of his departure from the presidency in 2001 it was also the exact number of sentences Bill Clinton had commuted and pardoned over eight years as president when he commuted and pardoned the sentences of an additional 140 people as part of his final act, bringing the number of commutations and pardons granted by Bill Clinton to 456 — and one of those he pardoned was his brother, who had been convicted of cocaine possession.List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the President of the United States - WikipediaThe number of people pardoned by presidents today is actually much lower than it was in the past when presidents were known to commute or pardon thousands of people as president, even during a time when the prison population was smaller; when the average prison sentences being given were much shorter than today; and during a time when parole boards often times commuted the sentences without the need of a president’s interference.For instance, Franklin Roosevelt pardoned over 3,600 prisoners while he was president, and the parole boards also granted parole and commutation to thousands of additional prisoners during his presidency.Above: President Franklin RooseveltWhile not every request for clemency was granted, and some of those who were turned down for clemency were even later executed as a result: it still stands that contrary to popular belief, politicians are not becoming more open to granting commutations and pardons, but are actually becoming LESS likely to grant them — the abolition of parole boards in most jurisdictions as well as the growing length of prison sentences having no effect on contemporary politicians to grant any commutations.After Milton Shapp stepped down as governor of Pennsylvania in 1980, the number of commutations granted by succeeding governors dropped down to literally zero — minus one or two possible exceptions for those convicted of non-violent offences.Despite the fact that Milton Shapp pardoned hundreds of prisoners as governor — among them were some 251 prisoners serving a life sentence, and most of them had been convicted of first degree murder — to date, Pennsylvania has not released any person serving a life sentence for a violent offence since 1980.Out of the few lifers that have been released in Pennsylvania since 1980, one of them was a man by the name of Michael Lehman, who was freed after more than thirty years in prison earlier this year, after having been incarcerated since the age of fourteen.Above: Governor Milton Shapphttp://newtownfriendsmeeting.org/earl-rice-will-tell-his-story-forty-three-years-in-prison-in-adult-class-april-22/With commutation, the window to freedom opens a crack for lifers in Pa. : WHYYHe was freed on the grounds that he had been a juvenile at the time; that he was not the one who did the physical killing; and that he admitted responsibility for the crime.Despite the fact that thirty years might be better than sixty years, it is still more than two-and-a-half times the amount of time an adult lifer spent in a Pennsylvanian prison between 1941–1980 when an average life sentence was approximately twelve years.http://novembercoalition.org/resources/Lifers.pdfWhen Lehman and many other lifers first got to prison in Pennsylvania, they also assumed that within a decade or so they would be freed as had been the norm until only a few decades ago.The time served in Pennsylvania during the mid to late twentieth century — while lenient by current American standards — was still nearly twice that of the average nationwide life sentence of seven years.Due to the laws in the old days being comparably lenient: many of those sentenced to life imprisonment decided to just plead guilty in expectation that they would be out in a few years, rather than going through a jury trial and possibly even facing a death sentence in states where the death penalty existed.Serial killer Ed Kemper himself talks about the old sentencing laws and he talks at length about this in this interview below:Above: Serial Killer Ed Kemper InterviewedUntil 1978, the harshest sentence allowed in California — other than the death penalty — was a sentence of life without parole for seven years. And since California did not allow consecutive life sentences at the time, this meant that serial killers convicted of multiple murders and not given the death penalty were also eligible for parole after seven years, and they could even become parole eligible earlier if they remained on good behaviour.Second degree murderers were given a discretionary life sentences, while all first degree murderers convicted of murders not deemed to be capital offences, based on California’s penal code at the time faced a maximum term of 5 years to life imprisonment.This law still applies even to cold case lifers later apprehended decades after the fact.California Cousins Get Maximum Sentence for 1973 Cold-Case Murders of Teenage GirlsGerald Mason - WikipediaLOUISIANA PENITENTIARY’S “OLD” LIFERSAt the time of his release, “Bishop” Eugene Tannehill was the longest serving prisoner in the state’s history. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering a man in an armed robbery by beating him to death with a pipe in 1956.Due to his self-admittance of having been somewhat rebellious in his first years of incarceration: Tannehill’s sentencing was delayed and it was not until 1960 that he first entered the gates of Angola prison.The Farm: Angola, USA, An Intimate Look Inside America’s Largest Maximum Security PrisonHowever, he soon realised that his chances of survival would be much higher if he could get a job working in the Trusty System, as many other black prisoners also rejected him; in some cases even assaulting him.Due to his reformed behaviour, Tannehill was given a job in the Trusty System where he was issued a rifle and spent most of his early years at Angola overseeing the other prisoners from a watchtower.Tannehill was no different than other lifers at the time in the regard that he was expecting to be freed within a decade and be able to go on with his life afterwards. By 1970, Tannehill had already spent a decade at Angola, and with a fairly clean record after his arrival in 1960: Tannehill was expecting to be granted parole at any time.Above: Tannehill’s First Internet TweetUnfortunately for him and many other prisoners of this time period: the turn of the 1970’s was also when legislatures in the state were discussing the possibility of increasing the penalties for a wide variety of offences, including murder.While those sentenced to life imprisonment during the 1950’s and 1960’s still continued to be paroled until well into the 1970’s and early 1980’s: Tannehill’s first years of incarceration meant that his release date got pushed back by a few years. And then by the time he was eligible for release, he would have found that parole for second degree murderers — the crime he had been convicted of — had been abolished and that he would no longer be eligible for release.Despite the fact that in his later years, Tannehill reportedly turned his life over to God and even became a clergyman: it was not until 2007 that he was finally released from prison — 47 years after entering Angola prison, and the longest time a prisoner had served at the penitentiary at the time of his release.Upon being released, Tannehill — who had claimed that God told him he would one day be freed — said that God dictated to him that his new destiny should be New York City; he has lived there ever since.Above: Gruesome Gertie — Louisiana’s Former Electric ChairANGOLA TODAYWhile the time spent in prison at the Louisiana State Penitentiary has meant that the prison has become a graveyard of sorts for people who spend their whole lives there and never come out again: most prisoners who were at Angola in the old days and are still there have said that the conditions in the prison have gradually improved from a violent and degrading atmosphere to one that is comparably calmer and more relaxed.During the 1980’s and 1990’s, more prisoners began to introduce a greater variety of hot meals for the first time in order to meet the standards by judges declaring that keeping prisoners for long periods of time in prisons that were originally intended to be much shorter in duration was a violation of the eighth amendments prohibition on “cruel and unusual” punishment.Louisiana State Penitentiary was also reportedly one of the first prisons in the United States to introduce its own radio station that is staffed by actual prisoners whose broadcasts can reportedly even be heard by those not confined to the walls of Angola, yet close enough in proximity to get their airwaves.The rodeo has also become a common theme at the prison. However, its use has been criticised by some pundits of the prison’s regulations — district judges being among those people — who insist that many of those prisoners taking part in these events are forced to do so under pain of being reprimanded if they don’t.Above: Angola Prisoners Tackle A Bull During A RodeoDuring the first years of Louisiana’s new sentencing laws, Governor Edwin Edwards appointed Ross Maggio to be the new warden of Angola. Even though Maggio had a reputation for being very strict: most prisoners who were imprisoned during Maggio’s time said that the overall conditions at the prison had greatly improved between the time he arrived and left.Louisiana Penitentiary’s first significant leaps towards its more modern structure came during the early 1990’s when then forty-six year old John Whitley was appointed the warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary. Despite the fact that the use of segregation and other physical punishments continued throughout most of his stay: Whitley also made several changes that included improving the working conditions for prisoners forced to do farming, as well as improving the conditions within the cells and barracks.Above: John WhitleyOn July 23, 1991, a strike occurred at Louisiana State Penitentiary only one year after Whitley had become the warden. The previous night, the execution of Andrew Lee Jones — a 36 year old who was also the last person to be executed by electrocution in the state — had been carried out.John Whitley - WikipediaDuring this time, Louisiana was in the process of changing its method of execution from electrocution to lethal injection. Prisoners were initially ordered to build the execution gurney by claiming that they were building a medical clinic. Once inmates found out what the real purpose was, the majority of prisoners at the prison went on strike and a near riot occurred with the SWAT team being called in.Above: Louisiana Death Row DocumentaryNonetheless, Whitley managed to prevent a possible deadly outcome when he acknowledged that prison authorities were in the wrong to have forced prisoners to build the execution chamber, and that he would have outsiders do the work, instead.After Whitley retired from Angola in 1995, Burl Cain came became the new warden — a position he held until his resignation in 2016 when he was accused of wrongdoing; a claim that he was later legally acquitted of.Above: Angola Inmates InterviewedBurl Cain - WikipediaEven though Louisiana State Penitentiary still remains one of the harshest prisons in the United States — the fact that it is also the largest prison in the country, added by the fact that more than 90% of those in there are serving sentences of life without parole helping in that reputation — the daily violence once witnessed at the prison is now regarded as a thing of the past by many of the older lifers who said they are still haunted from the past when they couldn’t even sleep without their cellmate being awake, out of fear they could be bludgeoned to death at any moment.Above: Burl CainSome of the old remains of the former Angola prison have since become a museum and a tourist attraction. And while Angola’s old days where prisoners could be whipped at a post for talking back to a guard may be in the past: it still does not change the reality that Louisiana State Penitentiary is not only still one of the harshest prisons in the United States, it is has also become a permanent home for offenders that once stood a chance of eventual release.Above: Louisiana State Penitentiary Prisoners Attending MassCONCLUSIONIn conclusion, it really comes down to two choices when looked at from an American legal perspective: is it better to have a harsh and grim prison sentence where prisoners can still expect to be released within a few years — or a prison that is somewhat more humane but where prisoners will spend years or possibly even the rest of their lives incarcerated with no chance of release?While I know that both have their advantages and disadvantages — I think it is best left for the readers to judge.FURTHER READING:For those interested to read more about prison sentences and criminal punishments in other states and countries, I recommend you read some of my previous answers below. If you are interested in seeing further articles of this nature posted in the future, please feel free to follow me for instant notifications:David Frigault's answer to Would you rather have gone to prison for seven years in 1900 or be in prison for the remainder of your life today?David Frigault's answer to Does anyone who is sentenced to LWOP ever have a chance of being freed based on their circumstances?David Frigault's answer to Why do criminals go back to crime?David Frigault's answer to Why do judges sometimes add "plus 1000 years" on a life sentence?

Haha The first thing before answering your questionI need to introduce myselfI’m Hitik NagpalI’ve recently cleared my Inter-G1 and G2 in may and November 2018 respectively(first attempt)As every average commerce student,CA was something i thought about initiallyBut friends,relatives,teachers everyone demotivated me that the course is too toughAnd you need to study 20 out of the 24 hours a day has!Log bolte the“BETA CA MIRCHI KI KULFI HAI AUR CHUS CHUS KAR KHAANI HAI”but my mind said that i need to try this andI got myself registered in the CA-CPT and now the confusion stageWhich coaching institution should i join?Let me tell you the backgroundMy parents are very supportive and told me to do whatever and from wherever i think is appropriate.There were two thingsDelhi or hisarWithout wasting time i decided hisarThenEldine,vishesh academy or Paras?I enquired the previous resultsAnd i found paras prosper all areas.I joined paras and got to know that teachers were very friendly plus helpful and their teaching was quite impressive.And with god’s grace i cleared my CPT with exemption!Next stage InterG1(never thought of doing both groups together kyuki bhyi mujhe life mein pdhayi chahie thiPdhayi mein life nahi chahie thi)Again i did some researchWent at every institute physicallyEldine was the place where students were busy gossiping while the video class was going on,since i was a paras student i got shocked and was utterly surprised!But still eldine had great name and i wanted to test it so i asked them for previous attempt results but they declined to show the result.This made my decision quite clear that paras was the place i needed to joinSince they give me a big list of students who passed InterG1 in previous attemt ie.Novemver2017 to be precise!And told me to call anybody and enquireAnd i called some of the students and 95% gave positive replies.I got impressed and joined paras!At paras i was moved by the way of teaching and the skill set the teachers carried.They encouraged students not just to give their best but also told them the way to get their best out!And again i did what i was told and the way i was told andCracked interG1 with exemption in 3 out of 4 subjects(259marks)And then by following the path of successI cleared InterG2 as well(262marks) with 2 exemptions.Whereas my friends who were much more intelligent than me and were studying in other institutes in hisar are still suffering and have not cleared anything after CPT.I would love to conclude this full thing in one line“1st attempt to 1st attempt hi hota hai”Phle mein ho gya to bdiaVrna kitne attempt lgegeIska andaza tumhe bhi nahi.I hope my answer shall be helful and will help you form a decision!Upvote for more answers!Feel free for more queries