Welcome to Louisiana Prison Museum and Cultural Center
Exterior of Angola Museum building
Opening in 1997, the Museum at the Louisiana State Penitentiary was established to preserve the long and storied history of crime, punishment, rehabilitation, criminal justice, and reform in Louisiana. The museum hosts thousands of visitors annually from all fifty states and many countries serving as an institution for learning and discussion on the impacts of corrections, criminal justice, and reform.
The Louisiana Prison Museum & Cultural Center is supported by its foundation, the Louisiana State Penitentiary Museum Foundation.
With a history and lore as notorious as Alcatraz and Eastern State Penitentiary, the Louisiana Prison Museum & Cultural Center stands alone with the monumental and humbling task of documenting living history inside the country’s largest maximum-security prison.
Our Mission
Our mission is to captivate visitors with a cultural experience that includes dialogue about the complex and compelling stories of corrections and justice in Louisiana.
Exhibits on Display
-The History of Capital Punishment in Louisiana
-The Red Hat Cellblock, Angola’s first and most notorious cellblock
-Angola Rodeo, The Wildest Show in the South
-History of Music and Filming at Angola, including famous inmates, actors, and documentaries
-Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame
-And much, much more!
Our Goals:
