LANE NELSON: ANGOLITE EDITOR FREED FROM PRISON
I do not know Lane Nelson, a former staff writer and editor of the The Angolite—the official inmate publication of the Louisiana State Penitentiary. What I do know about Nelson is that he was convicted of murder, spent two years on Louisiana’s death row, and joined the staff of The Angolite in the 1990s when Wilbert Rideau was the publication’s editor. In 2001 Nelson, joined by former Louisiana criminal justice professor Burk Foster, published a collection of death penalty articles titled, Death Watch: A Death Penalty Anthology (Prentice Hall 2001). It marked at least the second time Burk Foster had joined with members of The Angolite staff to produce an anthology of criminal justice articles. In 1990 he, Rideau, and Ron Wikberg collaborated on The Wall is Strong (Center for Louisiana Studies).
Following the December 2000 reversal of his murder conviction, Rideau was transferred out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary and housed in the Calcasieu Parish Jail pending his fourth trial. Nelson’s status with The Angolite really escalated after that move. In 2008 and 2010 Nelson’s death penalty articles gained both recognition and credibility from the Death Penalty Information Center (here and here). In 2007 The Angolite captured the prestigious Thurgood Marshall Award based on a death penalty article by Nelson. The new editor of the prison publication had clearly established that the magazine’s success had not been the work of one man, Wilbert Rideau; that a collection of inmates over the years had contributed significantly in making The Angolite one of the most respected and successful inmate publications in the nation.
Nelson’s hard work and commitment at self-change during his 18-year tenure with The Angolite and his nearly 30 years of incarceration at the infamous “Angola Prison” paid off. Earlier this year the Louisiana Board of Pardons granted him a commutation of his sentence and the commutation was signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Nelson was released from prison in April (here and here). Immediately after his release Nelson formed his own company—Capital Punishment Consulting Agency—which provides services about the death penalty and other related criminal justice issues. He has also offered himself for lecture engagements. And if his past record is a guide, Nelson will do quite well in both endeavors.
Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana Board of Pardons are both very conservative. It took an impressive effort for Nelson to convince them both that he deserved to be released from prison. I suspect, although I have no evidence, that Angola Warden Burl Cain was instrumental in the release of Nelson. Cain is one of the few Louisiana prison wardens who has put his neck on the proverbial “chopping block” by recommending the release of inmates. I do not know Warden Cain personally, but I do know two things about him: he is a good man and he is one of the best and most respected prison wardens in the nation.
There were only two Angola wardens who did not kow-tow to Wilbert Rideau—Burl Cain and Ross Maggio. And it is no coincidence that Rideau used his memoir, In The Place of Justice (Random House 2010), to attack the character and credibility of both men with vicious lies, misrepresentations and fabrications—all of which litter the former famed prison journalist’s memoir. And the two inmates Warden Cain probably helped secure their release from prison, G. Ashanti Witherspoon (featured prominently in the award-winning documentary “The Farm”) and Lane Nelson, were former Angolite staffers and Rideau associates who did not even receive an “honorable mention” in Rideau’s memoir. I’m convinced this was an intentional slight toward these two former Rideau associates because they demonstrated support and loyalty toward Warden Cain and not to the convict editor who consistently tried to undermine Cain’s administration.
Rideau’s memoir also treated two former free world colleagues shabbily. In his memoir, Rideau accused Jonathan Stack, the primary producer of The Farm, and Warden Cain of conspiring to steal credit for his literary work. The charge was both unsubstantiated and ridiculous. And although they co-produced The Wall is Strong, Rideau did not mention Burk Foster in his memoir either.
Why? Rideau does not like to share success credit with others. Through his liberal media friends, the convict editor managed to steal the lion’s share of the credit for The Farm, muffling the literary thunder of Stack and Witherspoon despite the significant contributions both men made to the documentary’s success. And Rideau did not extend any recognition to Lane Nelson or Burk Foster because that would have taken the limelight away from him.
So what has Wilbert Rideau really accomplish on his own? The Angolite garnered national media acclaim and journalism success during my 9-year tenure with the magazine—our co-editorship paved the way for the magazine’s award-winning prominence. After I left the magazine, I was succeeded by Ron Wikberg who, along with the assistance of Burk Foster, continued in the contribution of Rideau’s journalism success. Wikberg was followed by Michael Glover, Witherspoon, Nelson, and Kerry Meyers, all of whom contributed to the ongoing success of The Angolite which enhanced Rideau’s journalism reputation. In effect, Rideau’s success was shaped more by the talents and efforts of others than his own.
On his own, Rideau did produce his memoir, In The Place of Justice. It took him five years and a $150,000 from the Soros Foundation to produce what the New York Times called a “slow moving weather system.” The memoir is a collection of flawed facts, personal embellishments, misrepresentations of events and conversations that did not take place, attacks with lies and misrepresentations about people he does not like, and fraudulent scenes he attributes to himself that did not occur. All these charges have been documented through this website.
And Lane Nelson’s personal and professional success underscores my point that Wilbert Rideau was a mere passenger on The Angolite success train, not its conductor.
