The rodeo, promoted as the "wildest show in the south," features about a dozen events in which prisoners and professional cowboys compete under the watchful eyes of prison guards and the viewing public.
Convicts have taken part in the rodeo since 1965 at the prison, which is formally known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The facility, the largest maximum security prison in the United States, sits on the site of a former slave plantation, and was previously known for its horrific violence and harsh living conditions.
