Incarcerated Men Forced to Work on Angola Prison’s Farm Line Win Class Certification
On Tuesday, December 23rd, Judge Brian Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana certified a class action for incarcerated men at Angola Prison who are forced to perform punitive farm labor under extreme, unconstitutional and conditions that violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The “Farm Line” is a forced-labor assignment in which incarcerated men are sent to fields to perform manual agricultural labor under oppressive and dangerous conditions.
Specifically, Judge Brian A. Jackson granted certification of the following classes:
A general class of “all persons incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) who currently are, or may in the future be, assigned to the Farm Line”
An ADA subclass of " all persons incarcerated at LSP who have disabilities that substantially limit one or more of their major life activities and who currently are, or may in the future be, assigned to the Farm Line.”
After reviewing a “plethora of testimony” from both incarcerated plaintiffs and Department of Corrections officials, the court concluded that “nearly every newly incarcerated person at LSP is assigned to the Farm Line on arrival” and thereafter most “remain at risk” of being sent back to the Farm Line “as a disciplinary measure” (Court ruling, pg. 11).
“My grandmother was a sharecropper in East Feliciana Parish, and I grew up hearing her stories of mistreatment and racism... So, I had an immediate, negative reaction to being forced to work a Louisiana cotton field, alongside other Black men, like a slave. I refused to do it,” explained Damaris Jackson, one of the Named Plaintiffs, who with this ruling is officially a representative of the class.
“The Court’s ruling makes clear that the Farm Line’s harms are systemic and cannot be ignored,” said Cecelia Kappel, Deputy Director of Litigation & Special Projects at the Promise of Justice Initiative. “Class certification ensures that this case can move forward on behalf of everyone subjected to forced labor on the “Farm Line” at Angola.”
The Farm Line is reviled for its brutal conditions and intentional physical and psychological harm experienced by incarcerated men forced to engage in practices akin to nineteenth century slavery. It is used to “break” newly incarcerated men as their first job assignment, and thereafter as punishment for disciplinary infractions.
"Class certification is a major step toward protecting the constitutional rights of everyone incarcerated at Angola,” said Lydia Wright, Legal Director of Rights Behind Bars. “The State's operation of the Farm Line is dangerous, pointless and cruel. It endangers every person incarcerated at Angola. Today, the federal court recognized this fact. Now, with class certification, the court can adjudicate everyone’s claims together, and the relief granted will apply to everyone who could be subjected to the Farm Line.”
The case is scheduled for a 5-day trial beginning on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.