Old St. Helena Parish Jail - one of the oldest buildings in St. Helena Parish Courtesy of the Capital Resource Conservation and Development Council

 The Old St. Helena Parish Jail, built in 1855, is an excellent example of a mid-19th century jail building. It is probably one of fewer than five extant examples in Louisiana, as well as one of the oldest buildings in St. Helena Parish. The Old St. Helena Jail is a simple two-story brick building whose main space cuts through the square plan at a 45 degree angle, leaving two small triangular spaces on each story. One of these spaces contains a relatively new triangular staircase. On the cement floor is evidence of the location of the former cells. The Old St. Helena Parish Jail exemplifies Louisiana's history in the area of its legal and criminal codes, which differs from that of the rest of the United States. Louisiana was established in 1699 as a French colony under French laws, and later during Spanish rule, Spanish laws applied.

The outstanding difference between Louisiana and the other States is found in the judicial system, where it has retained the laws of France and Spain, expressed in its civil law, in preference to English common law. The Civil Code, as drawn up in Louisiana in 1808, is a codification of French and Spanish modifications of ancient Roman law. Elements of the Code Napoleon were adapted at this time. However, the tendency in Louisiana has been to adopt criminal procedure and rules of evidence from English common law. English common law began after the Norman Conquest of 1066 when the king sent his magistrates to settle disputes and enforce the unwritten law, believed common to all men, that his subjects understood. Common law was spread by England and adopted by the lands and territories conquered or established by the English, including most of the United States, Canada, and all of New Zealand and Australia. Louisiana law is akin to the civil law jurisdictions found all over the world, from South and Central America to much of Africa and all of Continental Europe, a system which can trace its origins back to the Code of Justinian, the Eastern Roman Emperor, who reigned from 527-565 AD.

The Old St. Helena Parish Jail is located next to the courthouse square in the center of Greensburg. It is open by appointment only. Contact the St. Helena Parish Tourist Commission, P.O. Box 162, Greensburg, LA 70441