The Pros And Cons Of Alcatraz

Alcatraz sits in the very chilly waters of California’s San Francisco Bay. America’s most difficult and dangerous criminals served time at this prison during its years of operation from 1945 to 1963.

It was the early 1930’s and it was the biggest crime wave in U.S history. The U.S passed a new law that it was illegal to sell, or drink alcohol. This angered many men and caused chaos in every city of the U.S. But there was a man named Al Capone who broke all these rules. He snuck many alcohol and sold so much, that he became rich out of it.

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.

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.

When you think of Alcatraz do you think of a creepy prison with only the worst prisoners? But Alcatraz wasn't really like that, in fact a lot of prisoners wanted to be transferred to Alcatraz because of the benefits. But how has Alcatraz affected other U.S. prisons?

Alcatraz is known as the most secure prison in all of history. Seated on an island in Californian's San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz has held some of America's most high risk criminals. The prison operated for almost three decades between the 1934 and 1963. (Alcatraz) Alcatraz was known for housing the prisoners that were criminals in other prisons. A massive crime wave was unleashed when prohibition was enacted and during the great depression.

Alcatraz a high security prison on an island just two miles off the edge of San Francisco there many of the United States toughest criminals, were sent there to do hard time on the rock. (Hopkinson 7-8) Alcatraz was a military prison before it was a federal penitentiary after World War 2 ended, the people of the United States wanted a super prison. Somewhere that they could send the worst criminals to rot. The prison of Alcatraz was operated from 1935-1963.There were many escape attempts but all of them failed because of the harsh guards and the treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay. No one thought anyone could break out of the concrete walls of Alcatraz until June 11, 1962 came and Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers decided it was time for them to get out of that hell hole.

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

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).

Can two brothers and a fuegitive survive escaping Alcatraz, the most secure prison in the country at that time? Yes, because there is enough evidence to prove that they could have survived, in this essay I will list multiple reasons to influence you on why they survived. At the time Alcatraz was the so called “most secure prison in the country” holding the most worst of the worst. Two criminal brothers by the names of John and Clarence Anglin were transferred to the prison. The two brothers got to know Frank Morris over the months of being in the prison.

People sued because there were no recreational facilities, which means the inmates were locked in there cell 24 hours a day. This is how prisons changed during the years. United States began using incarceration as a punishment for those who break the law, this method of punishment has had many problems. The problems found where that correctional institutions conditions where that the inmates are forced to live in a certain way, when penal facilities are over populated, these conditions have led to litigation and compelling the judicial system to change it way. Overall condition and other things have been approving and still are. Because of facility overcrowding,” several states have actually been placed under federal court order to reduce their inmate population in order to protect inmates’ constitutional rights” (Pitts, 2014).Due to all the suing and being watched over it has been changing in a good way. The first prison in the U.S was made in Philadelphia in 1790, it was called Walnut Street. The prison walnut was a violation of the 8th amendment which is the cruel and unusual punishment because of the things the prison would make the inmates

In 1769 san Francisco bay discovered the land expedition of Portola. Then in 1775 a Spanish explorer named Juan Manuel discovered the island, right before the Mexican American war began in 1846. Once the war began they thought it would be a perfect place for a lighthouse so they put one there in 1854 and also they mounted the first cannon on Alcatraz in the same year. Not only was Alcatraz a maximum security prison it was first a military prison in 1915. The prison was changed during strenuous circumstances, when the jail became too expensive to maintain. During that time, J. Edgar Hoover decided to make it a maximum security prison in 1934. It held some of the most dangerous criminals in the U.S. Such as Robert “Birdman” Strout, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Al “Scarface” Capone

Alcatraz prison had received a dramatic reputation from the public eye, which was “due [largely] to Hollywood movies which have created their own not particularly accurate Alcatraz with hidden tunnels [,] haunted dungeons…” and harshly exaggerated prison life (nps.gov).

Morris earned his ticket to Alcatraz by building an impressive resume of escape. In 1960 Federal officials decided thst his pattern of escape attempts would end at the Rock, on January 18, 1960 Morris disembarked from the prison launch and became inmate #AZ-K141.