Louisiana State Prisons
8 facilities- LDPSC-Allen Correctional Center (ACC)
- LDPSC-B.B. Sixty Rayburn Correctional Center
- LDPSC-Dixon Correctional Institute (DCI)
- LDPSC-Elayn Hunt Correctional Center (EHCC)
- LDPSC-Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW)
Federal Facilities in Louisiana
4 facilitiesICE Detention Centers
2 facilitiesLouisiana Department of Corrections
Louisiana DOC's inmate locator searches by DOC number or name. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate per capita of any US state - and one of the highest in the world. Louisiana is unique in that local parish jails house a significant portion of the state prison population under contract.
The official inmate search is available at www.doc.louisiana.gov/inmate-locator. FCI Pollock and USP Pollock in central Louisiana house federal inmates from Louisiana and surrounding states.
Visitation in Louisiana Facilities
Visitor approval varies - state facilities require LDOC visitor applications, parish jails have their own processes. Contact the specific facility (state prison or parish jail) for their visitor application requirements.
Always confirm visiting schedules directly with the facility before traveling. Find specific visitation rules on each facility's page in our Louisiana prison directory.
Sending Mail to Louisiana Inmates
Louisiana DOC mail requires the DOC number. Louisiana is unusual - many state inmates are housed in parish jails rather than state prisons. If your inmate is in a parish jail under state custody, mail goes to the parish jail address, not a state prison.
InmateAid delivers letters and photos, postcards, and magazines to Louisiana facilities. Want to receive letters without sharing your home address? Our Letters From Inmates service scans and delivers inmate mail to your account.
Phone Calls from Louisiana Facilities
Louisiana is not currently among the states that offer free inmate phone calls. Securus Technologies holds the LDOC contract for most facilities.
Following the FCC's Martha Wright-Reed Order (effective April 6, 2026), per-minute rates for inmate calls are now federally capped at state and federal facilities. Find current carrier and rate information on each facility's page in our Louisiana prison directory.
Sending Money to Louisiana Inmates
Commissary funds let inmates purchase approved items from the facility store. Primary money transfer options for Louisiana:
- JPay (primary for LDOC state facilities)
- Money orders at parish jails - policies vary
- Lobby kiosks at some locations
See our Send Money guide or navigate to the specific facility page for current provider information.
Reentry Resources in Louisiana
Planning for release is one of the most important things a family can do. These organizations provide support in Louisiana:
- Louisiana DOC Reentry - Official reentry programs
- Louisiana Center for Children's Rights - Juvenile and adult advocacy
- Promise of Justice Initiative - Death penalty and incarceration reform in Louisiana
- Resurrection After Exoneration - Support for the wrongfully convicted
Frequently Asked Questions About Louisiana Prisons
What is Angola prison?
Louisiana State Penitentiary - known universally as Angola, after the African country from which many of its enslaved workers were brought - is one of the most famous and infamous prisons in American history. At 18,000 acres, it is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, situated in a remote bend of the Mississippi River in West Feliciana Parish. Angola operated as a working plantation using inmate labor for decades after becoming a prison in 1901, and aspects of that agricultural operation continue today. It has been the subject of major civil rights litigation, award-winning documentaries including The Farm, extensive journalism, and ongoing advocacy related to conditions, the use of life sentences, and the predominantly Black inmate population. Angola is about 60 miles north of Baton Rouge. Given its remote location, video visitation is available and strongly recommended for families who cannot make the drive regularly.
Why are Louisiana state inmates in parish jails?
Louisiana's Department of Public Safety and Corrections has long contracted with local parish jails to house state-sentenced inmates. Parishes receive a per-diem rate from the state for each state inmate housed locally, generating revenue and helping the state manage overflow from state prisons. The result is that a person sentenced to state prison in Louisiana might end up serving their sentence in a rural parish jail, an Orleans Parish facility, or a state prison - and this can change during their sentence. For families, this means you cannot assume a state sentence means your person is at a state facility. Always use the LDOC inmate locator at doc.louisiana.gov to confirm current location before sending mail or planning a visit.
What is a DOC number in Louisiana?
Every person in Louisiana state custody is assigned a unique DOC number by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, whether they're at a state facility or a contracted parish jail. This is the number you'll need for mail, money deposits, and communications with DOC staff. Parish jails often use their own internal booking numbers for daily operations, but the DOC number is what the state system tracks. Find your inmate's DOC number through the Louisiana DOC Inmate Locator at doc.louisiana.gov. Mail sent to Louisiana state inmates - whether at state facilities or parish jails holding state inmates - should include the DOC number on the envelope. For locally sentenced inmates at parish jails, the jail's booking number may be more relevant - call the specific facility to confirm which identifier to use.
Does Louisiana have free prison phone calls?
No - Louisiana has not eliminated phone call fees at LDOC state facilities or parish jails. Securus Technologies holds the LDOC contract for most state facilities. The FCC's April 2026 rate caps reduced per-minute rates at state facilities, but calls are still charged per minute. Louisiana's parish jails - which house a significant portion of the state's incarcerated population under state contract - use their own carriers with their own rate structures, and not all are covered by the federal rate caps in the same way. Phone costs have been a documented financial burden for Louisiana incarcerated families for years. If costs are prohibitive, written mail and JPay electronic messaging are the most affordable alternatives.
What is the Angola Rodeo?
The Angola Prison Rodeo is an annual event at Louisiana State Penitentiary, typically held across multiple weekends in October, running since 1965. Inmates compete in traditional rodeo events plus Angola-specific events like Convict Poker - four inmates sit at a poker table in the arena while a bull is released, with the last man sitting winning. The event draws tens of thousands of outside visitors and is one of the few remaining prison rodeos in the United States. Families of inmates can purchase general admission tickets and watch from the stands. An arts and crafts fair featuring inmate-made work is part of the event and has become a respected cultural institution in Louisiana. Contact Angola directly for current dates, ticket prices, and any updates to the program - the event schedule can change.
How do I find out if my Louisiana inmate is in a parish jail or state prison?
Use the LDOC Inmate Locator at doc.louisiana.gov - this is the most reliable source and is updated regularly. It will show the current housing location for any Louisiana DOC inmate, whether they're at a state facility or a contracted parish jail. If your inmate is in a parish jail, the locator will identify which parish. From there, contact that parish jail directly for facility-specific mail rules, visiting procedures, and phone access - parish jails vary significantly from each other and from state facilities. Never assume you know where a Louisiana state inmate is housed without checking the locator - people move between facilities in Louisiana's distributed system more frequently than in most states.