The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary or United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island (often referred to as Alcatraz or The Rock) was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25m (2.01km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States, which operated from August 11, 1934, until March 21, 1963. Alcatraz had been the site of a fort since the 1850s; the main prison building was built in 1910–1912 as a United States Army military prison.
The United States Department of Justice acquired the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch, on Alcatraz on October 12, 1933, and the island became a prison of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in August 1934 after the buildings were modernised and security increased. Given this high security and the island’s location in the cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay, prison operators believed Alcatraz to be escape-proof and America’s strongest prison.
Alcatraz was used to hold prisoners who continually caused trouble at other federal prisons. One of the world’s most notorious and best known prisons over the years, it housed some 1 576 federal inmates, including some of America’s most ruthless, such as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’), George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Mickey Cohen, Arthur R ‘Doc’ Barker, Whitey Bulger, and Alvin ‘Creepy’ Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate).
The Bureau of Prisons’ staff and their families lived on the island as well. 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts during the prison’s 29-year history; most notable were the violent attempt of May 1946 called the ‘Battle of Alcatraz’ and the possibly successful June 1962 attempt by Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin, which was marked by careful planning and execution. Faced with high maintenance costs and a poor reputation, Alcatraz closed on March 21, 1963.
The three-story cellhouse included the four main cell blocks, A-block through D-block, the warden’s office, visitation room, the library, and the barber shop. The prison cells typically measured 9 feet (2.7m) by 5 feet (1.5m) and 7 feet (2.1m) high. The cells were primitive and lacked privacy, with a bed, desk, and washbasin, and a toilet on the back wall, and with few furnishings except a blanket.
African-Americans were segregated from other inmates in cell designation due to racial abuse. D-Block housed the worst inmates, and five cells at its end were designated ‘The Hole’, where badly behaving prisoners would be sent for periods of often brutal punishment. The dining hall and kitchen extended from the main building. Prisoners and staff ate three meals a day together. The Alcatraz Hospital was above the dining hall.
Prison corridors were named after major U.S. streets such as Broadway and Michigan Avenue. Working at the prison was considered a privilege for inmates and many of the better inmates were employed in the Model Industries Building and New Industries Building during the day, actively involved in providing for the military in jobs such as sewing and woodwork, and performing various maintenance and laundry chores.
Today, Alcatraz is a public museum and one of San Francisco’s major tourist attractions, attracting some 1.5 million visitors annually. Now operated by the National Park Service’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the timeworn former prison is being restored and maintained.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
To receive our FREE email newsletter, click HERE
