ANGOLA - Louisiana's largest prison will transfer hundreds of inmates to a different facility due to insufficient staffing. 

The Louisiana Department of Corrections will transfer 602 people from the Angola prison to Allen Correctional Center in Kinder, according to Louisiana Illuminator, a non-profit, online news website. State prison officials anticipate it will be easier to hire staff at Allen, which is located northeast of Lake Charles. 

The transfer will happen in phases, with roughly 200 people being move each month over the next 12 weeks.

The swap will also extend to other state prisons due to some offenders requiring tighter restrictions than what's available at the lower-security Allen facility. 

The move will mean a roughly 12-percent reduction in Angola's prisoner population, which is made up of over 5,000 offenders.