Every day, the State forces incarcerated men to work plantation row crops at Angola.

Overseen by armed guards on horseback or four-wheelers, these men walk into the fields, carrying hoes and shovels, to dig ditches and harvest crops on the “Farm Line.” Some are paid two cents an hour for their labor. Many are paid nothing at all. All are forced to work in extreme heat and humidity, without essential safety gear or modern agricultural equipment, even though the State has that equipment. These men face serious punishment if they refuse to work or if a guard is unsatisfied with their performance.

The combination of these intolerable and inherently dangerous conditions puts incarcerated people at substantial risk of severe psychological and physical harm, including life-threatening heat-related illnesses. These health risks are particularly acute for individuals with disabilities, who should be exempted from fieldwork, but are not.