LA Voice: “These are just a few examples of what really goes on in prisons in Louisiana. There are a great many staff members, particularly those involved in programs, counseling, and reentry services who truly care and do their best to make a difference. It’s a bittersweet victory for them, however, because they often find themselves targeted by administration and staff as well because they can’t fathom the idea of offenders becoming better. As assistant warden was quoted as saying during a staff training session, “If an inmate is talking, he’s lying.” Although I can’t speak to the circumstances which pushed the bad apples to the deranged mentality they acquired, I can say that the Stanford Prison Experiment by Philip Zimbardo hit the nail on the head. I can remember – while at Allen – reading “The Lucifer Effect”, written by Zimbardo, and feeling like they must be talking about Allen Correctional.
At some point, Louisiana’s constituents need to be able to bridge the gap between what they believe about Louisiana’s government and what reality is.”