Skip to content
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Visit
Calendar
HNOC in the News

Forbes: HNOC Explores Human Tragedy of Mass Incarceration in Louisiana

September 23, 2024

A woman in a red dress looks at an exhibit wall displaying information and images about the rise of mass incarceration in the United States. A graph on the wall shows historical incarceration rates and trends.
Forbes logo
“Since Louisiana’s colonial era, those in power have used the law to control, punish, and exploit others . . . . Captive State documents how slavery and incarceration were mutually reinforcing in ways that have had long-term impacts on people in this state, particularly Black Louisianians.”

Chadd Scott, contributing writer for Forbes, in his story exploring HNOC’s exhibition Captive State

Read More Read More

Related Exhibitions

View More
Exhibitions

Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration

July 19, 2024 to February 16, 2025

Learn how the institutions of slavery and mass incarceration are historically linked, and how these connections have made Louisiana the world leader in incarceration today.

View View
Historical illustration of a street scene with enslaved individuals working, a man on horseback, and people walking or observing. Wooden buildings and trees are in the background.

Related Books

View More
Books

Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration

by Eric Seiferth, Katherine Jolliff Dunn, and Kevin T. Harrell (curators) and Nick Weldon (editor)

View View
Buy Now
CAPTIVE STATE cover

Related Stories

View More
First Draft

Poets Respond to “Captive State” in Verse

Nine Louisiana poets visited the landmark exhibition on the history of incarceration and created original work based on their experiences.

View View
First Draft

Death on Display

Louisiana’s travelling electric chair, and the shift from public to private executions

View View

Related Collection Highlights

View More
A screenshot from a vintage color film shows part of a ship with the name "VERNON C. BAIN" written on the side.

“Vernon C. Bain” Christening Ceremony Video

When New York City’s war on drugs sent incarceration rates soaring, officials commissioned a floating jail built and christened downriver from New Orleans.

Learn More
The cover of the newspaper "Hospital Banner" from August of 1955.

Hospital Banner Newsletters

An unusual periodical, written and produced by residents of the state mental hospital in the mid-20th century

Learn More

Related News

View More
A screenshot from the video “Does Mass Incarceration Make Us Safer?” shows a woman adding a post-it note to a wall of post-it notes that answer the prompt "If you could change Louisiana's incarceration system, where would you begin?"
Behind the Scenes

New Video Goes Behind the Scenes of “Captive State” Exhibition and Companion Book 

October 9, 2025
Narrated by Anthony J. Hingle Jr., the piece explores how the project draws irrefutable historical links between slavery and mass incarceration.
Read More
A group of people view an exhibit in a gallery featuring a large historical illustration and several framed documents. A guide discusses the display, which includes a quote about shame and humiliation in a prison setting.
Announcement

Innocence Project New Orleans to Honor HNOC with John Thompson Award for Courage & Justice

August 13, 2025
The Collection will receive the award for its work on the exhibition “Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration.”
Read More
Exhibit wall with a blue panel stating, The institutions of slavery and mass incarceration are historically linked. A section titled CAPTIVE STATE features text and a colorful quilt with nature and wildlife motifs displayed on the right.
Press Release

“Captive State” Named Museum Exhibition of the Year by Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

January 15, 2026
HNOC joins eight other Bright Lights Awards recipients that were recognized for their significant contributions to the understanding of Louisiana’s history and culture in the humanities field.
Read More
Stay Connected

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Esto 2019 JG23 544 o6