Brief Summary: Alcatraz

Have you ever wondered what the worst prison would be like. Alcatraz was the worst prison ever it had the most baddest criminals ever. Alcatraz was nicknamed "the rock" because it was out in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It was also thought that no one could escape the prison because of all the dangers. Alcatraz opened on August 11, 1934 and closed on March 21, 1963. Alcatraz had some of the worst criminals some of the key moments were when Al Capone the worst bad guy came to Alcatraz, it also effects the people today because they see how bad it was for the prisoners to escape and have to stay there.

Alcatraz Island was federal prison located in California’s San Francisco Bay, officially opened on July 1, 1934. It was assumed that no inmate from the prison could attempt to break out by swimming and survive. It was an ideal location for a prison. It was also the site of the oldest operating lighthouse.

“At the top of a list of “demands” was the basic request that officials “provide adequate food, water, and shelter for all inmates.” Others included adequate medical treatment,” “realistic, effective rehabilitation programs,” “true religious freedom” “an end to “censorship of newspapers, magazines [and] letters” and tellingly, “a program for the recruitment and employment of a significant number of black and Spanish-speaking officers” (“Attica At 40” 8).

C. As quoted in a report by the Bureau of Prisons, …”Alcatraz served an important purpose in taking the strain off the older and greatly overcrowded institutions… since it enabled us to move the smaller, closely guarded escape artists, the big-time racketeers… and those who needed protection from other groups…”

Alcatraz is a prison that is famous for holding the most notorious criminals in the United States of America. Alcatraz was a maximum security federal prison on a island on the coast of San Francisco in California. Those who were a danger to society were the ones that would be sent to Alcatraz to be isolated from society. The prison has made history and has affected our current prison system that we have now in the United States. Today the prison is no longer a prison, it is now a national park where many can visit and tour around the old facility.

In 1775 a spanish explorer who name was Juan Manuel de Ayala mapped and named the now very well known island. He names the island La Isla de los Alcatraces, meaning the island of pelicans. Years later the Island was used for a military prison. Cannons were added to the island to protect the bay. By the 1850’s the U.S. Army began holding military prisoners on the island. The inmates included confederate supporters and people accused of treason during the Civil War,

Alcatraz island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a federal prison. It was used to house civil war prisoners because of its isolation from the cold, strong, and hazardous currents of the waters of the San Francisco Bay. The occupation of alcatraz from November 20, 1969 to June 11, 1971 impacted america socially, economically, and politically for the following reasons: it forced citizens of america to acknowledge the unfair treatment of the american indians, when America “bought” Alcatraz from the native Americans, they were treated so poorly and were barley paid at all…

Prison, a place in which many of us fear. Our nation has came a long way with punishment for unlawful acts. We slightly drifted away from the death penalty and focused mostly upon prisons. It provides a great opportunity for inmates to reconstruct their life and prevent their further corruptive behavior.

Alcatraz was introduced as a prison in the Civil War to hold captured men. But was later taken over by the United Sates Department of Justice (U.D.J) because it was just abandoned after the war. Eventually it was turned into a prison to hold men that normal community prisons could not hold. In the 1930’s a crime wave hit the United States and Alcatraz was about to become a full house. During that time escape became a bigger problem due to the size of the prison and the lack of guards in the jail. There were over 14 escape attempts involving over 30 men. Twenty were caught and eight killed over a period of years. Alcatraz finally hired enough men to secure the jail to the highest level. 1 man by the name of Frank Morris proved that was not

In 1933, the U.S. Army “relinquished” control of the island of Alcatraz “ to the U.S. Justice Department” (History.com). At that time the federal government “wanted a federal prison that could house a criminal population [that was] too difficult or dangerous to be handled by other U.S. penitentiaries” (History.com). “The main reason that Alcatraz was turned into a federal prison is because escape was thought to be impossible” (History.com). Alcatraz was made more secure than it already was to prevent escapes following construction to make the prison safer.

It also held American solders that deserted the Filipino cause during the Spanish-American war and Chinese citizens that resisted the Army during the Boxer Rebellion. later Alcatraz was used as a prison for criminals that needed an attitude adjustment not just the worst prisoners. These are the inmates that bribed guards and attempted escapes. Alcatraz was intended to get prisoners to follow rules so they could return to federal facilities. One of the most well-known prisoners, Al Capone, was allowed to play the banjo in the prison band. He was one of the first non-militaristic prisoners in Alcatraz. Before he was moved to Alcatraz he bribed the guards preferential treatment while serving tax-evasion sentence in Atlanta. In Alcatraz he became so cooperative that he was permitted to play the banjo in the Alcatraz band. Another unknown fact is that you could escape from

This final paper is on the prison system best known for its high security and worse place to be as a criminal. It is located 1.5 miles offshore of San Francisco, California. Alcatraz is commonly known for “The Rock”. It served as a military prison beginning in 1868 and was a federal prison from 1933 until 1963 (History, 2009). In 1972 is when Alcatraz was made into a national park for outsiders to explore this place of historic land (History, 2009). Then in 1986 is when Alcatraz officially became a historical national park (History, 2009).

The history of Alcatraz Prison is a long and interesting story. Alcatraz Prison was one of the biggest and the toughest prisons in the world and it wasn’t just any prison that would house any insignificant lawbreakers. This was the type of prison that would house people who misbehave in the other prisons. This prison had a capacity of 312 prisoners and throughout it’s years of service, it housed a total of 1,576 prisoners. The life of these prisoners were always terribly strict in its first few years of service, but then ended up a little easier as the years progressed. There have only been 14 escape attempts from Alcatraz and only two of them actually worked. Later on there were reports of several haunts in the area, which we will read nearer

They used sharpened spoons and nail clippers to dig a hole in their cells. They each made a vent cover to conceal their hole when the prison guards passed by. The guards also patrolled at night, so they used dummy heads to trick the guards into thinking they were still in bed. Once they loosened a flawed air vent they were able to get on the roof. They got past the razor wire on the roof and used rope to travel to the ground.

Alcatraz Island has quite a distinct history. Many people know that Alcatraz served as a federal prison, but most are reluctant to know that this island served as fort. Built before the Civil War, it served two main purposes. First, that it was to guard the San Francisco bay area from enemy ships against a foreign invasion, and second, to hold hostage prisoners of war or POW's as they were called. In this report, I'll show you how this fortress came to be a federal prison, why it is no longer in operation today, and most importantly, to show why it was built in the first place. When the great "Gold Rush" of 1849 first started, California grew from what would be considered a small, unpopulated state, into