Louisiana State Penitentiary

=====Reception center and death row=====
The Reception Center, the closest prison housing building to the main entrance, acts as a reception center for arriving prisoners. It is located to the right of the main highway, inside the main gate.<ref name="Varnado179"/> In addition it contains the [[death row]] for male inmates in Louisiana, with 101 extended lockdown cells housing condemned inmates.<ref name="Photoalbum"/> The death row facility has a central room and multiple tiers. The entrance to each tier includes a locked door and color photographs of the prisoners located in each tier.<ref name=Ridgeway3>Ridgeway, James. "God's Own Warden." ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]''. July/August 2011 Issue. p. [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/07/burl-cain-angola-prison?page=3 3]. Retrieved on March 23, 2013. "And I've seen a lot of good come out of faith-based programs—which, particularly in prison, fill the void created when lawmakers nationwide slashed funding for rehabilitation. In 1994, for example, Congress dealt a crushing blow to prison education by making inmates ineligible for higher-education Pell grants. Prison college programs, which had proved the single most effective tool for reducing recidivism, disappeared almost overnight. In Louisiana today, 1 percent of the corrections budget goes to rehabilitation. The imbalance "makes no rational sense from a prison management point of view," says David Fathi, who heads the ACLU's National Prison Project. "But unfortunately it makes political sense for the next election." As a result, he says, "the religiously inspired programs are pretty much all there is.""</ref>

Death row includes eight tiers, lettered A to G. Seven tiers have 15 cells each, while one tier has 11 cells. Each hallway has a cell that is used for showering.<ref name="Varnado180">Varnado, Michael L., and Daniel P. Smith. ''Victims of Dead Man Walking''. [[Pelican Publishing]], 2003. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vSdXjSNM1lwC&dq=%22Once+inside+the+building%2C+you+have+the+office+of+the+assistant+warden%22&pg=PA180 180]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on November 2, 2010. {{ISBN|1-58980-156-3}}, {{ISBN|978-1-58980-156-1}}.</ref> The death row houses exercise areas with basketball posts.<ref name="Varnado182">Varnado, Michael L. and Daniel P. Smith. ''Victims of Dead Man Walking''. [[Pelican Publishing]], 2003. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vSdXjSNM1lwC&dq=%22each+exercise+area+looks+like+a+dog+run%22&pg=PA182 182]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on November 2, 2010. {{ISBN|1-58980-156-3}}, {{ISBN|978-1-58980-156-1}}.</ref> The death row facility was constructed in 2006 and there is no air conditioning or cross ventilation.<ref name=McGaughyDeathrowstarted>McGaughy, Lauren. "[http://www.nola.com/crime/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2013/08/louisiana_death_row_inmates_te.html Louisiana death row inmates testify to 'indescribable' heat at Angola prison]." ''[[The Times Picayune]]''. August 6, 2013. Updated August 8, 2013. Retrieved on October 7, 2013.</ref> In addition, the Reception Center has one minimum custody dormitory with inmates who provide housekeeping for the facility.<ref name="Photoalbum"/>

In June 2013 three prisoners filed a federal lawsuit against the prison in the court in Baton Rouge, alleging that the death row facility does not have adequate measures to prevent overheating.<ref name=McHaughysueext>McHaughy, Lauren. "[http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/06/death_row_inmates_sue_angola_p.html Death row inmates sue Angola Prison over 'extreme' temperatures]." ''[[The Times Picayune]]''. June 10, 2013. Updated June 11, 2013. Retrieved on October 7, 2013.</ref> The prisoners said that due to pre-existing medical conditions, the heat may cause health problems. Brian A. Jackson, the district federal judge, ordered collection of temperature data at the Angola death row for three weeks to determine the conditions. During that time, Angola officials blasted outer walls of the prison with water cannons and installed window awnings to attempt to lower temperature data. In response, Jackson said that he was "troubled" by the possibility of manipulating the temperature data.<ref name=McGaughyDeathrowstarted/>

On Monday August 5, 2013<!--August 6 is a Tuesday-->, the federal trial regarding the condition of the death row in high heat started.<ref name=McGaughyDeathrowstarted/> The following day, Warden Burl Cain apologized for violating the court order regarding data collection.<ref>McGaughy, Lauren. "[http://www.nola.com/crime/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2013/08/angola_warden_apologizes_for_v.html Angola prison warden apologizes for violating court order during death row heat lawsuit]." ''[[New Orleans Times Picayune]]''. August 6, 2013. Updated August 7, 2013. Retrieved on October 8, 2013.</ref> On Wednesday August 7, 2013, closing arguments in the trial ended.<ref>McGaughy, Lauren. "[http://www.nola.com/crime/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2013/08/angola_prison_heat_trial_wraps.html Angola prison heat trial wraps up as judge confirms visit to Louisiana's death row]." ''[[The Times-Picayune]]''. August 7, 2013. Retrieved on October 8, 2013.</ref> In December 2013 U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson ruled that the heat index of the prison was cruel and unusual punishment, and therefore, a cooling system must be installed. By 2014 a court-ordered plan to install a cooling system was underway.<ref>Gyan, Joe Jr. "[http://theadvocate.com/home/9256687-125/judge-approves-air-cooling-plan Judge approves air cooling plan for death row]." ''[[The Advocate (Louisiana)|The Advocate]]''. May 23, 2014. Retrieved on September 16, 2015.</ref>

As of May 2019, the issue was close to being resolved after a 6-year long court battle. A settlement has been reached between the death row inmates and the prison. The settlement agreement calls for daily showers for the three Angola inmates of at least 15 minutes; individual ice containers that are replenished in a timely manner by prison staff; individual fans; water faucets in their cells; "IcyBreeze" units or so-called "Cajun coolers"; and the diversion of cool air from the death row guard pod into their cells. Even though these measures have already been put in place, the court ruling could take until November 2019 to be made final by judge Brian Jackson.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}