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Albert Woodfox spent 44 years and 10 months in Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola prison) in solitary confinement — believed to be the longest period anyone in American history has ever spent in solitary.
In 1972, a white correctional officer at Angola was killed. Two prisoners and Black Panthers — Mr. Woodfox and Herman Wallace — were immediately targeted as suspects, despite a lack of evidence, and convicted.
Together with Robert King, a fellow Black Panther convicted of a separate murder in prison in 1973, the men became known as the Angola Three. All three maintained their innocence for decades.
Despite the grave injustice of his wrongful incarceration and the horrors of sustained solitary confinement, Mr. Woodfox emerged an activist whose spirit remains unbroken.
