Feb. 21, 2026

The Angola 3 — Solitary For Believing Black Lives Matter

A prison built on a former plantation. Three men who dared to organize for dignity. A system that answered with isolation instead of justice. We take you inside the story of the Angola Three—Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, and Robert King—and trace how solitary confinement became a weapon used to silence voices that challenged abuse, corruption, and racial terror behind bars.

We unpack how thin evidence, recanted testimony, and contradictory forensic reports produced swift convictions that endured for decades. From 23-hour lockdowns to years without human touch or sunlight, we examine what prolonged isolation does to the mind and why it persists as a tool of control. The journey from accusation to release—29 years for King, 41 for Wallace, 43 for Woodfox—shows how power can bend process and how resilience can still break through. Their story connects true crime, civil rights, and prison reform, revealing the human cost of policies that prize order over truth.

Along the way, we discuss the history of Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the influence of the Black Panther Party’s call for dignity, and the broader question of what safety really means inside a prison. We explore evidence standards, oversight, and the urgent case for limiting or abolishing long-term solitary confinement. If you care about criminal justice, mental health, and human rights, this conversation offers context, clarity, and a path toward change. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about reform, and leave a review to help more people find these stories and keep the pressure for accountability alive.

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Chapters

00:00 - Welcome And Safety Reminder

00:42 - Introducing The Angola Three

01:19 - Organizing, Accusations, And Thin Evidence

01:54 - Decades In Solitary Confinement

02:15 - Releases And Lasting Impact

02:55 - What Solitary Does To The Mind

03:43 - Closing Gratitude And Credits

Transcript

WEBVTT

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Welcome to True Crime, authors and extraordinary people.

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The podcast where we bring two passions together.

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The show that gives new meaning to the old adage, truth is stranger than fiction.

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And reminding you that there is an extraordinary person in all of us.

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Here is your host, David McClam.

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What's going on everybody?

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Welcome to another sort of True Crime, Authors and Extraordinary People, Black History Fact Edition.

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Of course, I'll your man, David McLam.

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If you guys haven't already, make sure to follow us all off on social media.

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Only to a link tree will get you every place you need to go pertained to the show.

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And like I always like to remind you, if you are someone or you know someone who feels like hurting themselves or someone else, please leave this episode on Double 988.

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It is the Suicide Prevention Hotline.

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They can get you the help that you need.

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And in case no one else has told you this today, let me be the first to tell you I do care and I need you to be here.

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There is nothing worth your life.

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Alright, guys, here we go with another great fact for you.

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Fact number 21.

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This one is the Angola 3.

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Solitary for Believing Black Lives Matter.

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Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, and Robert King were known as the Angola III.

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They were incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, built on the site of a former plantation named after the enslaved Africans forced to labor there.

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Wallace and Woodcox organized within the prison.

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They advocated against rape, corruption, and racial abuse.

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They aligned with the Black Panther Party.

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They demanded dignity.

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Soon after, they were accused of murdering a prison guard.

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The evidence was thin, witnesses recantic, forensic reports contradicted the prosecution, but convictions came swiftly.

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What followed was decades of solitary confinement.

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Twenty-three hours a day, years without human touch, decades without sunlight.

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Solitary confinement was not punishment, it was retaliation.

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Robert King was released after 29 years.

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Wallace was freed after 41 years.

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Dying just days later, Wood Fox was released in 2016 after 43 years.

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Their case exposed how prisons suppress political consciousness, how isolation becomes a weapon, how justice bends to preserve power.

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They survive what many do not, and they told the truth anyway.

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But he stood up in court and said, I cannot go back there.

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They're gonna put me in solitary confinement.

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He, I'd rather just shoot myself and die right here in open court.

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So Stabler was like, Man, can it really be that bad?

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So he actually put himself in solitary confinement.

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He went into the guard and he says, I want you to put me in here and don't let me out.

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I think he said, Don't let me out for so many days or hours or whatever the case was.

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And he ends up freaking out in solitary confinement.

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He starts banging on the door, and the guy opens the door and he throws him against the wall and says, How long have I been in there?

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I told you to come get me.

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He's like, You've only been in here for like a couple of hours.

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That's how cruel solitary confinement is.

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Just a concrete box that you're sitting in with no windows, no light, no bed.

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That's the price that Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, and Robert King paid just for speaking out on the truth, trying to get some justice, and trying to say that black lives matter.

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Alright, guys, thank you for joining us today.

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I know you have many choices in true crime and interview podcasts, and I am grateful that I'm one of your choices.

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Remember that you have been listening to the only three-faceted podcast of its kind.

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Be good to yourself and each other, and always remember, always stay humbled.

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An act of kindness can make someone's day.

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A little love and compassion can go a long way.

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And remember that there is an extraordinary person in all of us.

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I'll catch you guys on the next one.

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Don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe.

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Cover art and logo designed by Arsenal.

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Sound mixing and editing by David McLam.

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Intro script by Sophie Wilde and David McLam.

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