The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, is the largest maximum security prison in the U.S. with over 6,000 inmates. The area was formerly a plantation called Angola and purchased in 1880 and opened as a state prison in 1901.
In 1964, the Angola Prison Rodeo began as a recreational activity for the inmates and officers and originally not open to the public. A few years later, people caught wind of the event and would watch from apple crates or car hoods just outside the fence. The popularity of the event continued to grow and eventually, the prison began selling tickets and built spectator seating.
Today it’s the oldest operating prison rodeo in America. The spring rodeo operates one weekend in April and the fall rodeos run every Sunday in October. This is one of those ‘has to be seen to be believed’ events. We can picture Louis Theroux meandering around the paddocks in one of his documentaries – asking “but why?" Whilst we might shake our heads at the prospect of such an event - what's important to understand is that for the prisoners, most of whom will never be released, it gives them purpose. Not everyone is eligible for rodeo privileges, so once they are earned, inmates will do anything to stay on the rodeo roster.