New Documentary, Cruel And Unusual, Promises Unique Look Into Solitary Confinement
May 10, 2017
“The great Constitution indeed forbids cruel and unusual punishment. And if any treatment can be called that, it is the decades-long treatment of the ‘Angola 3’ in solitary confinement.”
The “Angola 3” spent more time in solitary confinement than any other incarcerated individuals in the United States, and now, a documentary telling their story will soon be released.
Director Vadim Jean is raising funds so the film, “Cruel and Unusual,” can be screened in New York and Los Angeles and qualify for Oscar consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (The project must reach its goal on Kickstarter by May 11.)
Robert King, Herman Wallace, and Albert Woodfox were incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary when a corrections officer was killed in April 1972. As members of the Black Panther Party in prison, they were targeted for their political activism, accused of the murder, and put in solitary confinement.
For 29 years, King was in solitary until his conviction was overturned, and he was released in 2001.
Wallace was in solitary confinement for 41 years. He had advanced liver cancer when a district court judge threatened to hold the state in contempt and ordered authorities to release Wallace to a hospital. He died three days after his release on October 4, 2013.
