Innocence Project New Orleans to Honor HNOC with John Thompson Award for Courage & Justice
The Collection will receive the award for its work on the exhibition “Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration.”
On July 24, the Innocence Project of New Orleans (IPNO) named the Historic New Orleans Collection as the 2025 recipient of the John Thompson Award for Courage & Justice, in recognition for its work on the 2024 exhibition Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration.
Representatives from HNOC and its Captive State advisory committee will receive the award at IPNO’s annual gala on Saturday, September 13, 2025. Read their announcement below:
IPNO is proud to present he John Thompson Award for Courage & Justice to the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) for their work on the Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration exhibition.
The exhibition brought to light the irrefutable historical link between the institutions of slavery and mass incarceration in Louisiana. The stories and historical artifacts charted Louisiana’s transformation over three centuries from a colonial slave society to the incarceration capital of the world.
This remarkable and unforgettable exhibition will continue to educate the public about mass incarceration in Louisiana through the publication entitled, Captive State, which will be released this Fall. More details will be available at the Gala.
IPNO is pleased to recognize HNOC, President and CEO Daniel Hammer, the curatorial team, and all other individuals and organizations who made this powerful exhibition dedicated to truth and accuracy possible through their hard work and commitment.
Learn more about the Innocence Project of New Orleans and its upcoming annual gala on their website.Opens in new tab
Related 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)
Related Exhibitions
Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration
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.
Related Stories
Processing Hope and Loss in the Prison Portraits of “One Big Self”
Deborah Luster’s portrait series, taken inside prisons across Louisiana, confronts viewers with the human lives at stake in the incarceration capital of the world.
Inside Angola’s Prison Newspaper, the ‘Angolite’
John Corley, associate editor at Louisiana State Penitentiary, discusses the history and operations of the award-winning periodical.
Related Collection Highlights
“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.
Hospital Banner Newsletters
An unusual periodical, written and produced by residents of the state mental hospital in the mid-20th century
Related News
HNOC, LHA Select “The Carceral City” to Receive 2024 Williams Prize
New Video Goes Behind the Scenes of “Captive State” Exhibition and Companion Book
Reflecting on “Captive State”: How to Take Action
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