i had so many thoughts leading up to this assignment as to what it was gonna be like. trying to imagine going down this road, knowing it s a one-way trap. there s this moment when you get this last glimpse of the world around you, but that glimpse is through steal match. louisiana s highway 66. it s a beautiful countryside. it s undoubtedly not lost on the countless men driven to the place where they ll most likely die. but road ends here. the louisiana state penitentiary. a former plantation the size of manhattan. 28 square miles. most people call it angola, named after the african country that was home to the slaves who once worked these very fields. now, angela is the largest maximum security prison in the country, where today, i ll be housed with about 5500 men. i m heading into ground zero of mass incarceration. there s certainly a heightened awareness as i walk through here. no guards. for the next couple days, i ll be staying here, explain key issues of the pri
$6250 for each of his 28 years behind bars. from 2016 to 2020, 374 people wrongfully convicted of murder, 61% african-americans, have reunited with their families together they spent over 6000 years in prison. years. years they will never get back. that s all for this edition of dateline. i am craig melvin. thank you for watching. i am craig melvin and this is dateline. leading up to this assign what it was going to be like. i had so many thoughts leading to this assignment as to what it would be like. trying to imagine going down isoad, knowing it s a one- way trip. this moment where you get your last glimpse of the world around you, but that glimpse is through steelman mesh. louisiana highway 66. it s beautiful countryside and undoubtedly not lost on the countless men driven to the place where they will most likely die. that road ends here. the louisiana state penitentiary, a former plantation. the size of manhattan. 28 square miles. most people call it angola named
around trying to revive the rehabilitation debate we have abandoned. we have people locked up with nothing to do. and we know that education is transformative. it reduces recidivism. education and programs have also proven to reduce violence inside prison. angola was once known as the bloodiest prison in america. but things began to change here in the 1990s when the prison began to focus on more than simply locking up people and feeding them. go ahead. now in addition to its popular annual inmate rodeo, there are a variety of programs. all right. ready? go. these men are training service dogs for veterans. there is even a radio station run by incarcerated men. the only one in the nation, the station that kicks behind the bricks. you can get a lot more freedom here depending on your behavior. you know, we have a
now in addition to its popular annual inmate rodeo, there are a variety of programs. all right. ready? go. these men are training service dogs for veterans. there is even a radio station run by incarcerated men. the only one in the nation, the station that kicks behind the bricks. you can get a lot more freedom here depending on your behavior. you know, we have a lot of programs mentor led, led by other guys serving life sentences and it giving them purpose. it looks like a shop. yeah, it does. i talked to a master mechanic at the prison s auto shop. i didn t know how to change a spark plug before i went to prison. don t let the uniform fool you. he has been incarcerated since 1989 for killing his wife with a shotgun. even know he ll likely never get out, he mentors nonviolent offenders in a re-entry program. when you can see a man, come
in america. but things began to change here in the 1990s when the prison began to focus on more than simply locking up people and feeding them. go ahead. now in addition to its popular annual inmate rodeo, there are a variety of programs. all right. ready? go. these men are training service dogs for veterans. there is even a radio station run by incarcerated men. the only one in the nation, the station that kicks behind the bricks. you can get a lot more freedom here depending on your behavior. you know, we have a lot of programs mentor led, led by other guys serving life sentences and it giving them purpose. it looks like a shop. yeah, it does. i talked to a master mechanic at the prison s auto shop. i didn t know how to change a spark plug before i went to prison. don t let the uniform fool you. he has been incarcerated since 1989 for killing his wife