As it Happened: The Archive Edition - The Justice Episode
They are known as the Angola Three. Three members of the Black Panthers, all convicted of murdering a white prison guard while already in Angola Prison, all detained in solitary confinement for decades.
Robert King spent 32 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2001. Twenty-nine of those years were spent in solitary. And when he was finally released he dedicated his life to the release of the other two men - Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox.
In October of 2013, Wallace was released from prison on compassionate grounds. He had advanced liver cancer, after spending 41 years in prison. King spoke with As it Happens host Carol Off on the day Wallace was released.
"They were convicted despite the fact that there was no evidence, no forensic evidence linking to this crime. A bloody fingerprint found at the scene did not match any of the people indicted for the crime," said King. "There was a rush to judgment. The state needed someone to pin the murder on and Herman and Albert were considered militant and members of the Black Panther party and they felt they were the culprits."
King compared conditions for prisoners to slave labour. Inmates worked for 2 cents an hour over a 17 hour workday. Much of their work involved harvesting sugarcane.
King described the effect of 29 years in solitary confinement.
"You know, people ask me that all the time. It was a place where I became real reflective. It was a place where I think I continued my evolution. But it was a place of horror. It was a place where I recognized day, by day, by day, that I would be in prison for the rest of my life."
King maintains that Wallace and Woodfox were kept in solitary confinement, and in prison, because of their political beliefs. Wallace died on October 4, 2013, three days after being released.
Woodfox remains behind bars despite having his conviction overturned multiple times, the most recent in June, 2015. The state appealed the federal ruling and now he must remain detained until that appeal is heard. After 43 years, Woodfox has spent more time in solitary confinement than any other U.S. prisoner.