The Farm Angola Analysis

The medium of film is often a great place to depict many facets of American society. This fact is sometimes validated by the depiction of the criminal justice system. While scripted film are often examples of this, documentary films provide a realistic platform. In the 1998 film “The Farm: Angola, USA,” this is shown. Through the work of director/producers Liz Garbus, Wilbert Rideau, and Jonathan Stack, it shows an in-depth look into Americas largest maximum-security prison. I first discovered the film in 2013, but for the purposes of this assignment I rewatched it via YouTube this week. The film can be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odx9NEHc17M.

The film shows the stories of men imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Often refereed to the as “The Farm at Angola,” or simply “Angola,” the prison is home to over 6,000 male inmates. Once a slave plantation, this 18,000-acre farm is the largest maximum-security prison the in United States. Over 70 percent of Angola’s inmates are serving life sentences. During the 88 minute journey, the stories of John Brown, George Crawford, Wilbert Rideau, Eugene Tanniehill, Vincent Simmons, Logan Theriot, and Ashanti Witherspoon are told. While each mans story is very different, the film represents the reality of life in a maximum-security prison.

As mentioned, this film showcases the area of corrections in the criminal justice system.

Through the multiple of characters, many different attitudes towards this medium are shown. For example, both George Crawford and Vincent Simmons are men fighting to prove their innocents. On the other hand, Eugene Tanniehill and Ashanti Witherspoon have come to grips with their actions and are strive to become better individuals through the correctional system. The various attitudes of the men relay the idea that the correctional sector can be viewed as good or bad depending on ones

attitude.

There are multiple correlations between the film and the text. As previously noted, characters story provides a different attitude towards the system. With Angola being such a large prison, it is somewhat like its own world. For example, at the maximum-security facilities, each prisoners has a specific job. Ranging from field work to upper level trusties, the prison has a very unique subculture. One of the areas that stands out the most, is the religious aspect. At Angola, inmates have their own churches on the land. Here, they are allowed to gather during regularly scheduled meeting times. The film crew was able to capture a service where the systems structure was shown. Based on the footage, the service was not much different from a gathering of free individuals. The Christian based service had many normalities that one would see in a church. For example, there was a time of worship, preaching, and even announcements. This shows the power of a concept outlined in the text known as Prisoner Rights. Under this concept, the United States allows the right for prisoners engage in freedom of speech and religion. While correction officials have some power in these area due to safety concerns, it is minimal. The well constructed system of religious freedom at Angola, shows the nature of this concept.

While I found the film compelling, it was difficult to view it in a positive light. This is because it shows many problems with incarceration in America. Due to the films documentary form, it realistically shows some flaws in the criminal justice system. A great example of this was the prisons work program. While the idea of rehabilitation through skill trades makes sense, a vast number of prisoners were assigned the fields. As the cameras followed, I began to question whether it was true rehabilitation or institutional slavery. While this does not fit my experience of the criminal justice system, it does line up with my understand of it. Unfortunately, this film shows why it is so difficult for individuals to have a successful reintegration into society after experiencing incarceration in America.