Billy Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Billy Wayne Sinclair is a former prisoner at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
(also known as Angola) in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
who became famous as a journalist; he co-edited The Angolite
with Wilbert Rideau
.
, and Sinclair received the death penalty in 1966. In 1972 the Supreme Court of the United States
temporarily abolished capital punishment, leading all prisoners who had death sentences to lose them. Sinclair received a life sentence to replace his death sentence. Sinclair was incarcerated from December 11, 1965 to April 21, 2006 for a 40 year span.
Sinclair and Wilbert Rideau
became co-editors in 1978. Rideau and Sinclair became famous for their work. The Columbia Journalism Review
once referred to Rideau and Sinclair as "the Woodward
and Bernstein
of prison journalism." Neither Rideau nor Sinclair had gone beyond the ninth grade in their formal educations before their arrests and incarcerations.
In 1979, Rideau and Sinclair won the George Polk Award. The Polk Award originates from the articles "The Other Side of Murder" and "Prison: a Sexual Jungle." In addition, the magazine, under Rideau and Sinclair, won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
and the American Bar Association
's Silver Gavel Award.
On March 17, 1981, a television reporter for WAFB-TV of Baton Rouge, named Jodie Bell, interviewed Sinclair. Sinclair and Bell developed a relationship, and the two married by proxy on June 9, 1982. While Sinclair was incarcerated, Jodie Bell Sinclair maintained his website. Jodie Sinclair advocated for her husband's release for a 25-year period. Charles Jones
, a former member of the Louisiana Senate and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
, represented Sinclair during meetings of the Louisiana Board of Parole.
informant. Sinclair reported on a pardons-for-sale scheme, resulting in a scandal affecting LSP and the administration of Governor of Louisiana Edwin Edwards
. Ray Lamonica, a federal attorney, said that of the two dozen prisoners involved in the investigation, Sinclair was the only one to voluntarily cooperate. In 1986 the Billy Sinclair and Wilbert Rideau
journalism team dissolved as a result of Sinclair revealing his role as an informant. In 1987 federal marshals transported Sinclair out of LSP. Federal authorities feared that Sinclair could be murdered in Angola. Jason Berry of The New York Times
said that "Sinclair became a pariah in the highly politicized prison system" and that Sinclair had "a bitter falling out with Rideau." The federal investigation did not lead to an indictment of Edwards; a parallel state investigation lead to bribery charges against Howard Marcellus, who was the head of the pardon board under the Edwards administration; Marcellus received a conviction for bribery. After Sinclair's cooperation, the pardons board submitted a petition for clemency to the new Governor of Louisiana, Buddy Roemer
; Roemer rejected the clemency petition.
By 1989, Sinclair filed a $100,000 federal lawsuit against Rideau, concerning the textbook "The Wall Is Strong: Corrections in Louisiana," a University of Southwestern Louisiana composition of magazine and newspaper articles and papers from the Center for Criminal Justice Research of the university. Rideau edited the book, and about half of the book's articles originated from The Angolite. Sinclair said that four of the articles quoted in the book should have his name in the bylines, and Sinclair accused Rideau of plagiarism. Sinclair also named as defendants Burk Foster, a LSU criminal justice professor; Hilton Butler, a former warden of LSP; and Roger Thomas, a former assistant warden. Frank Polozola, the U.S. district judge, dismissed Sinclair's suit, because Sinclair had never obtained a copyright for the articles.
Sinclair said that C. Paul Phelps, then the director of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections
, and Wilbert Rideau were the most vocal of a group of journalists and officials who were advocating against his release. Sinclair moved to the Louisiana State Police Barracks, and later, the N-5 Special Management Unit cell block in the David Wade Correctional Center
because of the stigma against "snitches" in prison. In 1987 Rideau said that he felt "betrayed" by Sinclair's actions and that The Angolite' s credibility suffered with its readers. Sinclair said that a journalist agency in a prison could not operate like one in the free world. Allen Johnson, Jr. of the Gambit Weekly
said that A Life in the Balance: The Billy Wayne Sinclair Story, a book co-authored by Sinclair and Sinclair's wife, "paints an unflattering picture of Rideau as a self-promoter and master manipulator of the "outside" media."
Due to Sinclair's actions, the Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC), a pro-law enforcement organization in New Orleans, supported Sinclair's release; as of 2001 Sinclair was the only prisoner who the MCC advocated for release. Between 1992 and 2001 the State of Louisiana Parole Board denied Sinclair parole six times. On April 21, 2006 Sinclair was released on parole to the State of Texas. He was released from the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center
.
Sinclair and his wife live in Houston, Texas
, and Sinclair works as a paralegal for an attorney, John T. Floyd.
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
(also known as Angola) in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,111 people, 3,645 households, and 2,704 families residing in the parish. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
who became famous as a journalist; he co-edited The Angolite
The Angolite
The Angolite is the inmate published and edited magazine of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana....
with Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau is a former death row inmate in Louisiana, as well as an author and award-winning prison journalist. Rideau was initially convicted of murder and served time in the Louisiana State Penitentiary...
.
Conviction, incarceration, The Angolite, and marriage
In 1965 Sinclair was convicted of killing James C. Bodden during a robbery attempt in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, and Sinclair received the death penalty in 1966. In 1972 the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
temporarily abolished capital punishment, leading all prisoners who had death sentences to lose them. Sinclair received a life sentence to replace his death sentence. Sinclair was incarcerated from December 11, 1965 to April 21, 2006 for a 40 year span.
Sinclair and Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau is a former death row inmate in Louisiana, as well as an author and award-winning prison journalist. Rideau was initially convicted of murder and served time in the Louisiana State Penitentiary...
became co-editors in 1978. Rideau and Sinclair became famous for their work. The Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
once referred to Rideau and Sinclair as "the Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
of prison journalism." Neither Rideau nor Sinclair had gone beyond the ninth grade in their formal educations before their arrests and incarcerations.
In 1979, Rideau and Sinclair won the George Polk Award. The Polk Award originates from the articles "The Other Side of Murder" and "Prison: a Sexual Jungle." In addition, the magazine, under Rideau and Sinclair, won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
and the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
's Silver Gavel Award.
On March 17, 1981, a television reporter for WAFB-TV of Baton Rouge, named Jodie Bell, interviewed Sinclair. Sinclair and Bell developed a relationship, and the two married by proxy on June 9, 1982. While Sinclair was incarcerated, Jodie Bell Sinclair maintained his website. Jodie Sinclair advocated for her husband's release for a 25-year period. Charles Jones
Charles Jones
-Arts, architecture, scholarship:* Charles Jones , Ealing's first architect, engineer and surveyor* Charles Jones , gardener and photographer* Chuck Jones , American animator, director, and producer...
, a former member of the Louisiana Senate and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the black members of the United States Congress. Membership is exclusive to blacks, and its chair in the 112th Congress is Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.-Aims:...
, represented Sinclair during meetings of the Louisiana Board of Parole.
Reporting on pardon selling, further incarceration, release
Sinclair left Angola after he admitted that he was a Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
informant. Sinclair reported on a pardons-for-sale scheme, resulting in a scandal affecting LSP and the administration of Governor of Louisiana Edwin Edwards
Edwin Edwards
Edwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century...
. Ray Lamonica, a federal attorney, said that of the two dozen prisoners involved in the investigation, Sinclair was the only one to voluntarily cooperate. In 1986 the Billy Sinclair and Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau is a former death row inmate in Louisiana, as well as an author and award-winning prison journalist. Rideau was initially convicted of murder and served time in the Louisiana State Penitentiary...
journalism team dissolved as a result of Sinclair revealing his role as an informant. In 1987 federal marshals transported Sinclair out of LSP. Federal authorities feared that Sinclair could be murdered in Angola. Jason Berry of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that "Sinclair became a pariah in the highly politicized prison system" and that Sinclair had "a bitter falling out with Rideau." The federal investigation did not lead to an indictment of Edwards; a parallel state investigation lead to bribery charges against Howard Marcellus, who was the head of the pardon board under the Edwards administration; Marcellus received a conviction for bribery. After Sinclair's cooperation, the pardons board submitted a petition for clemency to the new Governor of Louisiana, Buddy Roemer
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
; Roemer rejected the clemency petition.
By 1989, Sinclair filed a $100,000 federal lawsuit against Rideau, concerning the textbook "The Wall Is Strong: Corrections in Louisiana," a University of Southwestern Louisiana composition of magazine and newspaper articles and papers from the Center for Criminal Justice Research of the university. Rideau edited the book, and about half of the book's articles originated from The Angolite. Sinclair said that four of the articles quoted in the book should have his name in the bylines, and Sinclair accused Rideau of plagiarism. Sinclair also named as defendants Burk Foster, a LSU criminal justice professor; Hilton Butler, a former warden of LSP; and Roger Thomas, a former assistant warden. Frank Polozola, the U.S. district judge, dismissed Sinclair's suit, because Sinclair had never obtained a copyright for the articles.
Sinclair said that C. Paul Phelps, then the director of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections
Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections
The Department of Public Safety and Corrections is a state agency of Louisiana, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency comprises two major areas: Public Safety Services and Corrections Services. The Secretary, who is appointed by the Governor, serves as the Department's chief executive officer...
, and Wilbert Rideau were the most vocal of a group of journalists and officials who were advocating against his release. Sinclair moved to the Louisiana State Police Barracks, and later, the N-5 Special Management Unit cell block in the David Wade Correctional Center
David Wade Correctional Center
David Wade Correctional Center is a Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections prison in unincorporated Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, near Homer and Haynesville. The prison is located near the Louisiana-Arkansas border....
because of the stigma against "snitches" in prison. In 1987 Rideau said that he felt "betrayed" by Sinclair's actions and that The Angolite
Gambit Weekly
Gambit is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based free alternative weekly newspaper that was established in 1981 as Gambit Weekly. Gambit features reporting about local politics, news, food and drink, arts, music, film, events, environmental issues and other topics, as well as listings...
said that A Life in the Balance: The Billy Wayne Sinclair Story, a book co-authored by Sinclair and Sinclair's wife, "paints an unflattering picture of Rideau as a self-promoter and master manipulator of the "outside" media."
Due to Sinclair's actions, the Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC), a pro-law enforcement organization in New Orleans, supported Sinclair's release; as of 2001 Sinclair was the only prisoner who the MCC advocated for release. Between 1992 and 2001 the State of Louisiana Parole Board denied Sinclair parole six times. On April 21, 2006 Sinclair was released on parole to the State of Texas. He was released from the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center
C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center
C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center is a Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections prison for men, located in unincorporated Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, about north of DeQuincy and northwest of Lake Charles. The center is located on Louisiana Highway 27.-External links:* "." Louisiana...
.
Sinclair and his wife live in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Sinclair works as a paralegal for an attorney, John T. Floyd.