BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections announced its new warden for the State Penitentiary at Angola.

Darrel S. Vannoy was chosen to serve as the new warden and has been a part of the Department of Corrections since 1975. He first served as a Corrections Cadet at Louisiana State Penitentiary and then rose through the ranks to eventually serve as Deputy Warren. He then transferred to Dixon Correctional Institute as Warden in 2013.

Two years later he was appointed as Warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary. He has served on numerous boards and committees, including serving as president of North American Association of Wardens & Superintendents, a member of the Correctional Security Operations Committee of the American Correctional Association and a board member of the Louisiana Correctional Association.

Warden Vannoy replaces Burl Cain, who served as warden for two decades. Cain resigned earlier this year. In 2008, Cain became the longest-serving warden of Angola in the prison's history. A devout Christian, Cain focused on spiritual redemption as a way to rehabilitate prisoners.