Here’s what being a prisoner in Alcatraz was like!
Find out why it ended up closing!
Alcatraz Beginnings Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary or The Rock,
was a maximum-security federal prison on Alcatraz Island located roughly one and a quarter miles
off the coast of San Francisco.
The prison operated from August 1934 all the way until March 1963.
That’s almost 60 years ago!
But why are people still fascinated with this prison despite being shut down for many years?
It’s because of its reputation of supposedly being an escape proof prison!
Given its high security and the island's location in the cold waters and strong currents of
San Francisco Bay, it was believed that Alcatraz was America’s strongest prison at the time.
Alcatraz had been the site of a fort since the 1850s; the main prison building was built
in 1910–1912 as an Army military prison.
The island became a federal prison in 1934 after the old buildings on the island were
modernized and security increased.
Alcatraz was home to some of America's most ruthless, such as Al Capone, George "Machine
Gun" Kelly, Mickey Cohen, Whitey Bulger, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, who served more time
at Alcatraz than any other inmate!
Alcatraz Prisoners Alcatraz wasn’t for just any normal prisoner.
It was used to hold prisoners who continuously caused trouble at other federal prisons.
The convicts housed in Alcatraz weren’t necessarily prisoners who had committed the
worst crimes.
They were the convicts most in need of a so-called “attitude adjustment”.
These were the guys with the worst behavior at other prisons, such as guys that bribed
guards or guys that attempted escapes.
A trip to Alcatraz was intended to get them to follow the rules so that they could eventually
return to other federal prisons.
On average, an inmate would spend about eight years at Alcatraz.
There were only two men ever paroled directly from Alcatraz into the free world.
Most of the prisoners would be taken back to other federal prisons.
According to past correctional officers, once a convict arrived on Alcatraz, his first thoughts
were on how to leave!
A total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, with two men trying TWICE!
Everyone that’s tried to escape has been accounted for except for five men.
They’re still listed as missing or presumed drowned!
Alcatraz cellhouse Alcatraz consisted of several big facilities
on the island.
The main cellhouse was built incorporating some parts of Fort Alcatraz's citadel.
A new cellhouse was built from 1910–1912 on a budget of $250,000 thousand dollars a
hefty amount at the time.
The 500 foot long concrete building was reputedly the longest concrete building in the world
at the time.
This building became the main cellhouse of the prison until its closure in 1963.
Alcatraz corridors Alcatraz cellhouse had a corridor naming system
based on major American streets and landmarks.
Michigan Avenue was the corridor to the side of A-Block, and Broadway was the central corridor
where inmates would assemble.
Times Square was an area that was just before inmates would enter the dining hall for their
meals.
Broadway separated Block-B and Block-C and prisoners kept along this corridor had the
least privacy in the prison.
The corridor between Block-C and the library was called Park Avenue.
The corridor in D-Block was named Sunset Strip.
And nope, none of the prison was as glamorous as these names!
Basic Entitlements Inmates were entitled to food, clothing, shelter,
and medical attention.
Anything else was seen as a privilege.
Everyone wore the same clothes – a blue shirt, grey pants, cotton long underwear,
socks, and a blue handkerchief.
When it came to their appearances, it was mandatory for all prisoners to shave in their
cells three times a week.
Toilet paper, matches, soap, and cleanser were issued to the cells on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Pretty much everything else was considered contraband.
Even money wasn’t allowed!
The bars, windows, and floors of the prison were cleaned on a daily basis.
In earlier years, there was a strict code of silence.
NO one was allowed to talk to anyone, at any time!
By the 1950s, this rule had relaxed and talking was permitted in the cellhouse and the dining
hall provided that the conversations were kept relatively low.
Scheduling Prisoners used to be woken up at 6:30 in the
morning and sent to breakfast at 6:55.
After returning to their cells from breakfast, inmates had to tidy their cell and place their
trash outside.
At 7:30 am, work shifts started.
Working at the prison was considered a privilege for inmates.
If an inmate is assigned a job, he HAD to accept that line of work.
Of course, they weren’t allowed to have any money in the prison.
Instead, their earnings went into a prisoner's Trust Fund.
Many of the better inmates were employed in the Model Industries Building and New Industries
Building during the day.
These prisoners actively involved in providing for the military in jobs such as sewing and
woodwork.
They also performed various maintenance chores around the prison.
Smoking was another privilege that was permitted in the workplace providing there wasn't any
hazardous condition.
Lunch was served at 11:20 in the morning, followed by 30-minutes of downtime in the
cell before returning to work until 4:15 in the afternoon.
Dinner was served at 4:25 and the prisoners would then retire to their cells to be locked
in for the night at 4:50.
They got locked in before 5 in the afternoon!
Lights off was at 9:30 at night.
After locking in the prisoners for the night, 6 guards usually patrolled the four cell blocks.
A total of 13 official counts were made throughout the day.
In addition, shop foreman made their own verification counts.
Sunday and holiday routines had their own schedules, with time reserved for haircuts,
showers, clothing changes, and recreation.
Many prisoners have compared their time at Alcatraz as the worst thing they’ve gone
through.
The hardest part for a lot of them was the never-changing ROUTINE!
One former prison guard compared his prison job to being a zookeeper or a farmer.
According to him, it felt like the prisoners were treated like animals.
Because he was sending them out to basically "plow the fields" during the day, and then
he would round them up and feed them before locking them down for the night!
That’s one way of thinking about the situation!
Security at Alcatraz So how tough was this legendary security in
Alcatraz?
When Alcatraz was built, the authorities took measures to strengthen the security of the
prison cells to make Alcatraz "escape-proof".
But they also wanted to improve the living conditions for the staff.
Up-to-date technologies at the time for enhancing both security and comfort were added to the
buildings.
Guard towers were built outside at four strategic locations.
Cells were rebuilt and fitted with tool-proof steel cell fronts and locking devices operated
from control boxes.
That way, cell doors could just be locked down immediately, or all doors could be opened
immediately.
All windows were made covered with iron grills and the front door was made of solid steel,
virtually impossible for any prisoners to escape through.
Electromagnetic metal detectors were placed at the entrances of the dining hall and workshops,
with remote-controlled tear gas canisters at appropriate locations.
Who knew they had this tech back then!
Old tunnels were also sealed up with concrete to avoid hiding and escaping.
Substantial changes and improvements were made to the housing facilities for all the
prison staff to live with their families.
As you can imagine, the quality of the housing was relative to the rank.
The warden had one of the biggest private properties on the island.
Prisoner Assessment Prisoners entering Alcatraz would undergo
vigorous research and assessment.
They’re thoroughly checked and evaluated when they first arrive.
Obviously they’re checked for contraband and also their mental state.
Once in, the security was kept extremely tight at all times.
Guards kept up with constant checking of bars, doors, locks, and electrical fixtures.
On top of that, prisoners were counted 13 times per day!
And if that wasn’t enough, the ratio of prisoners to guards was the lowest of any
American prison at the time.
The island had many guard towers, most of which have since been demolished.
There was always SOMEONE at the guard towers.
And this is especially true when the prisoners weren’t locked in their cells.
For example, there were guard towers overlooking each of the industrial buildings to ensure
that inmates didn't try to escape during the workday shifts.
The recreation yard and other parts of the prison had a 25-foot fence topped with barbed
wire, just in case someone tries to escape during free time.
The corridors were regularly patrolled by the guards, with passing gates along them.
The most heavily trafficked corridor was "Broadway", the central corridor between Block B and Block
C. Other prison staff also used the corridor daily, and not just the guards.
This meant that there was always someone passing by.
And check this out!
At the end of each meal, which only lasted for 20 minutes, ALL of the forks, spoons,
and knives were laid out on the table.
Why?
So guards can carefully count each one to make sure that no utensils had been taken
as a potential weapon!
Target Practice One of the strangest routines has to be with
the guards.
They always held target practice right outside of the cell house.
This was an almost nightly occurrence after the men were locked in their cells.
Guards would go out and start shooting at dummies to practice in case they actually
would have to take shots at someone attempting an escape!
When the target practice happened at night, prisoners weren’t able to sleep.
Can you imagine trying to sleep with all those shots going on?
And, the guards always shot at dummies made in human likeness.
Once the practice was done for the night, the dummies were left sprawled along the walkway.
This was OBVIOUSLY done as a tactic in order to send a hard message to anyone that’s
thinking of attempting anything.
Cell Life Life at Alcatraz came with its challenges.
The prison cells were purposefully designed so that none of them adjoined an outside wall.
They typically each only had 45 square feet of space.
They only had a tiny bed with a blanket, a desk, a sink, and a toilet on the back wall.
An air vent covered by a metal grill was at the back of the cells.
These vents led into the utility corridors.
This was useful for some prisoners!
Find out about the real truth behind escaping from Alcatraz in this video!
Prisoners had zero privacy using the bathrooms.
Yeah, the stench in the prison had to be bad!
Hot water faucets weren’t installed until the early 60s, even though the prison closed
in 1963! Alcatraz had a very strict regimen of rules
and regulations as well as the daily routine.
Both the prisoners and the guards had to follow strict orders in order to make sure the prison
ran smoothly and safely.
Once a prisoner arrived at Alcatraz, he’d be given a copy of the rules to learn and
follow.
Cells were expected to be kept tidy and in good order.
Inmates could actually request hot water and a mop to clean their cells!
Visitors & communication Inmates were allowed to write only one letter
of not more than two pages each week.
AND, that letter HAD to be to a blood relative, so no one random.
As for original incoming letters, they never actually get to see the original copy.
All their mail was opened and they only received copies typed at the prison office.
Visiting also was as regulated as you would think.
No visitor was permitted to have any contact with an inmate.
Each person was granted one visit per month and each visitation had to be approved directly
by the Warden.
Rules dictated that inmates weren’t allowed to discuss current events or anything about
prison life.
Between the prisoner and the visitor there used to be a screen and glass, and the conversation
was done through an intercom.
Correctional officers monitored the conversations the majority of the time.
Alcatraz Captain Phil Bergen stated that they didn't always have time to monitor every single
one of the conversations, but the vast majority of visits were closely tracked.
If a prisoner didn’t follow the rules, he wouldn’t be allowed any more visitors!
Simple as that!
Food Mealtime was a whole process at Alcatraz!
A whistle system indicated which block and tier of men would move in and out of the dining
hall.
The whistle also indicated who sat where, where to place hands, and when to start eating.
Each dining table had benches that held up to six men, although smaller tables that seated
4 people later replaced these benches.
Reportedly, the food served at Alcatraz was the best in the United States prison system,
so that’s one nice surprise!
A breakfast menu is actually still preserved on the hallway board at alcatraz, dated March
21st 1963.
The breakfast menu included assorted dry cereals, steamed whole wheat, scrambled eggs, milk,
fruit, toast, bread, and butter.
Inmates were permitted to eat as much as they liked within 20 minutes, provided that they
didn’t leave anything to waste.
Waste would be reported and if it happened often, inmates would lose different privileges!
All of the prison population, including the guards and officials would all eat together,
with the dining hall being able to accommodate over 250 people.
The Yard The Recreation Yard was the yard used by inmates.
It’s basically the most freedom inmates were allowed to have in the prison, but of
course, they’re still under constant supervision.
Inmates were permitted out into the yard on Saturdays and Sundays and on holidays for
a maximum of 5 hours.
Those who worked seven days a week in the kitchen were rewarded with short yard breaks
during the weekdays as well.
Many of the inmates used weekends in the yards to catch up with each other and talk and scheme
about whatever.
It was the only real opportunity they had during the week for a quality conversation.
Sports And yep, you guessed it, badly behaved prisoners
had their yard access rights taken away from them on the weekends.
The yard was big enough for the inmates to play games such as baseball, softball, and
other sports.
Because of the small size of the yard and the diamond at the end of it, a section of
the wall behind first base was actually padded to cushion the impact of inmates overrunning
it!
You would think that gloves, bats, and balls, would be considered dangerous, but apparently
it wasn’t.
Alcatraz Reputation Alcatraz gained notoriety right from the beginning
as the toughest prison in America.
Former prisoners reported that Alcatraz tested their sanity, with lengthy solitary confinements
being one of the worst forms of punishment.
Was it true that inmates were locked in dungeons for punishment?
Well, sort of.
Remember, the cellhouse had been built on top of a 19th-century fortress that was used
by the US military to protect the Bay.
Below A-Block actually was a set of cells that were known as the Spanish Dungeon.
These cells had been used during the military prison era.
In the late 1930s, supposedly the dungeon cells were occasionally used for unmanageable
inmates!
Many correctional officers have agreed that they had heard of or were aware that some
extremely unmanageable inmates were handcuffed to bars in the dungeons for short periods
of time.
The prison's reputation wasn’t helped by the arrival of more of America's most dangerous
felons, including Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz," in 1942.
He entered the prison system at age 19, and never left, spending 17 years at Alcatraz.
One writer called Alcatraz as quote "the great garbage can of San Francisco Bay, into which
every federal prison dumped its most rotten apples."
However, despite its reputation, some prisoners reported that the living conditions there
were much better than most other prisons in the country, especially the food.
Why the reputation?
The truth is, Alcatraz was fine.
IF you behaved.
If not, then it’s basically as bad as it can get.
The discipline dished out at Alcatraz was probably as severe as it could have possibly
been back then.
The most common complaint was the rule of silence, which was discontinued in the late
1930s.
In the earlier years of Alcatraz, inmates were supposed to be absolutely silent except
during meals and recreation periods.
The silence rule was considered harsh and inmates were disciplined for even minor violations
of the rule.
It was so bad that some inmates commonly emptied out water from their toilets and created a
primitive communications system through the sewage piping!
Inmate Insights What were the GOOD things about Alcatraz?
According to former inmate Willie Radkay, it was actually a great advantage having your
own cell.
By having your own cell, it kept you safe from other inmates.
AND there was still a little bit of privacy.
He also stated that the staff treated the inmates respectfully although they rarely
spoke to each other.
While Alcatraz certainly wasn’t St Regis, its tough-as-nails reputation was a bit of
a Hollywood creation.
Alcatraz’s first warden, James A. Johnston, knew poor food was often the cause of prison
riots, so he prided himself on serving good food to the inmates.
And that’s why inmates essentially had an all you can eat with no waste policy.
Overall, some prisoners considered the conditions inside Alcatraz to be more attractive than
at other federal prisons, and many inmates actually asked to be transferred to alcatraz!
Library Inmates who behaved had access to privileges
that included monthly movies and books.
The prison has its own library with over 15,000 books and a lot of popular magazine subscriptions.
Inmates would place orders by putting a slip with their card in a box at the entrance to
the dining hall before breakfast, and the books would be delivered to and from their
cell by a librarian.
Books and magazines were carefully curated.
Anything crime-related were torn out of magazines and newspapers were actually banned.
Music hour Alcatraz went from a place where inmates couldn’t
talk to a prison where there’s a music hour!
Every night, inmates could play a stringed instrument from 5:30 to 7:00.
Alcatraz also allowed prison bands, and they practiced in the dining room or auditorium
during music hour.
Al Capone famously practiced playing his banjo in his cell.
Capone was in prison for tax evasion and arrived at Alcatraz in 1934 as convict #85.
He became a cooperative prisoner and that’s why he was allowed to play in the prison band.
The Rock Islanders would play Sunday night concerts for the other inmates.
But, that band ended when Capone got into a fight with the saxophone player!
Guard Life Convicts weren't the only ones living on the
island.
The guards and their families lived there too.
At any given time, there were around 300 civilians living on Alcatraz that included both women
and children.
Families of the guards enjoyed their own bowling alley, small convenience store, and soda fountain
shop.
Families did most of their shopping on the mainland since the prison boat made twelve
scheduled runs to the Van Ness Street Pier each day.
The Warden lived in a large house adjacent to the cell house and actually had inmates
with good conduct records come over and cook and clean.
Kids that lived on the island took a ferry to school every day.
Nothing was produced or grown on the island, so a boat ride was required for anything on
the island.
Alcatraz Closing So why did Alcatraz shut down?
Basically it was just too expensive to house the inmates!
Operationally, Alcatraz was the most expensive prison of any state or federal institution.
It was determined that other institutions could serve the same purpose for less cost.
Watch this next video to find out about the Untold Truth About The Escape from Alcatraz!