Colegiul

Național ,,Simion Bărnuțiu”

Șimleu Silvaniei



ATESTAT DE COMPETENȚE LINGVISTICE
LA LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Profesor coordonator: Realizator:

Carmen Ioana Lăpădat Flaviu Nicolae Deac

Clasa: a XII-a C

2019

 Colegiul Național ,,Simion Bărnuțiu”
Șimleu Silvaniei



ATESTAT DE COMPETENȚE LINGVISTICE
LA LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Profesor coordonator: Realizator:

Carmen Ioana Lăpădat Flaviu Nicolae Deac

Clasa: a XII-a C

2019
1
 Table of contents

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 3

CHAPTER I: HISTORY ............................................................................................................................ 4

1.1 CONSTRUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 EARLY HISTORY ................................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 NOTORIETY .......................................................................................................................................... 6
1.4 FINAL YEARS ........................................................................................................................................ 7
1.5 ESCAPE ATTEMPTS ............................................................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER II: ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................................................... 10

2.1 SECURITY ........................................................................................................................................... 10

CHAPTER III: PRISON LIFE AND THE CELLS............................................................................... 12

3.1 CORRIDORS ........................................................................................................................................ 14
3.2 A-BLOCK ........................................................................................................................................... 14
3.3 B-BLOCK ............................................................................................................................................ 14
3.4 D-BLOCK ........................................................................................................................................... 14
3.5 DINING ............................................................................................................................................... 16
3.6 RECREATION ...................................................................................................................................... 16

CHAPTER IV: OTHER BUILDINGS.................................................................................................... 17

4.1 WARDEN'S HOUSE .............................................................................................................................. 17
4.2 BUILDING 64 ...................................................................................................................................... 17
4.3 SOCIAL HALL ..................................................................................................................................... 17
4.4 POWER HOUSE ................................................................................................................................... 18
4.5 ALCATRAZ WATER TOWER ................................................................................................................ 18
4.6 MODEL INDUSTRIES BUILDING ........................................................................................................... 18
4.7 NEW INDUSTRIES BUILDING ............................................................................................................... 19

CHAPTER V: FAMOUS INMATES ...................................................................................................... 20

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 22

REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 23

BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................... 25

2
 Introduction

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, 1.25 miles
(2.01 km) 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 modernized
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 continuously 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,[3] 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 arguably 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 (2.7 m) by 5 feet (1.5 m) and 7 feet (2.1 m) high. The cells were primitive and lacked privacy, with a
bed, desk, washbasin, and toilet on the back wall and few furnishings except a blanket. African-
Americans were segregated from other inmates in cell designation due to racial abuse being prevalent. D-
Block housed the worst inmates, and five cells at its end were designated as "The Hole," where badly
behaving prisoners would be sent for periods of punishment, often brutally so. 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.

3
 Chapter I: History
1.1 Construction

The main cellhouse was originally the location of

the cellhouse for the military citadel and prison which
existed on Alcatraz from the 1860s. A new cellhouse
was built in 1910–1912 on a budget of $250,000 and
upon completion, the 500 feet (150 m) long concrete
building was reputedly the longest concrete building in the world at the time.[4] In 1933–34 this building
remained, but was modernized and became the main cellhouse of the federal penitentiary until it was
closed in 1963.[5]:76 When the new concrete prison was built, many materials were reused in its
construction. Iron staircases in the interior and the cellhouse door near the barber's shop at the end of A-
block were retained from the old citadel and massive granite blocks originally used as gun mounts were
reused as the wharf's bulkheads and retaining walls.[6][7] Many of the old cell bars were used to reinforce
the walls, causing structural problems later due to the fact that many placed near the edge were subject to
erosion from the salt air and wind over the years.[7]

After the U.S. Army's use of the island for over 80 years (1850–1933), the island came under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The purpose of
this transfer was to punish those involved in the rampant crime which prevailed in the country in the
1920s and 1930s.[8] The United States Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz was acquired by the United
States Department of Justice on October 12, 1933, and the island became a Federal Bureau of Prisons
federal prison in August 1934. The $260,000 conversion to the federal prison took place from January
1934.[9][10] George Hess of the United States Public Health Service was appointed the chief medical
officer of the prison and Edward W. Twitchell became a consultant in psychiatry for Alcatraz in January
1934.[10] The hospital facilities were checked by three officials from the Marine Hospital of San
Francisco.[10] The Bureau of Prisons personnel arrived on Alcatraz in early February; among them
was Loring O. Mills, acting chief clerk. In April 1934, the old material was removed from the prison,
holes were cut in the concrete and 269 cell fronts were installed, built using four carloads of steel ordered
4
from the Stewart Iron Works.[10] A legend at the works is that a shipment of cells and iron accidentally
fell into San Francisco Bay during transportation from San Francisco Dock to Alcatraz and were never
recovered, and thus had to be reordered.[11] Two of four new stairways were built, as were 12 doors to the
utility corridors and gratings at the top of the cells. On April 26, an accidental small fire broke out on the
roof and an electrician injured his foot by dropping a manhole cover on it.[10] Fencing around Alcatraz
was added by the Anchor Post Fence Company and emergency lighting in the morgue and switchboard
operations were added by the Enterprise Electric Works.[10] In June 1934, the Teletouch Corporation of
New York began the installation of an "electro-magnetic gun or metal detecting system" at Alcatraz;
detectors were added on the wharf, at the front entrance into the cellblock, and at the rear entrance
gate.[10] The correctional officers were instructed how to operate the new locking devices on July 30,
1934, and the new radio equipment was tested by both the United States Coast Guard and the San
Francisco Police Department on the same day.[10] Final checks and assessments were made on the first
two days of August.[10]
1.2 Early history

Alcatraz was designed to hold prisoners who continuously caused trouble at other federal prisons,
a "last resort prison" to hold the worst of the worst criminals who had no hope of rehabilitation.[12][13] At
9:40 a.m. on August 11, 1934, the first batch of 137 prisoners arrived at Alcatraz, arriving by railroad
from the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, to Santa Venetia, California. Before being
escorted to Alcatraz they were handcuffed in high security coaches and guarded by some 60 FBI special
agents, U.S. Marshals, and railway security officials.[10][14] Some 32 detainees from the original military
prison were reported to have been amongst the first inmates.[6] Most of the prisoners were notorious bank
robbers, counterfeiters, murderers, or sodomites.[14] Amongst the first inmates were also 14 men
from McNeil Island, Washington.[10] On August 22, 43 prisoners arrived from Atlanta Penitentiary and 10
from North Eastern Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.[10] On September 1, one prisoner arrived from
Washington Asylum and Jail and seven from the District of Columbia Reformatory in Virginia, and on
September 4, another batch of 103 prisoners arrived by train from Leavenworth.[10] Prisoners continued to
arrive, mainly from Leavenworth and Atlanta in 1935 and by June 30, 1935, the penitentiary had a
population of 242 prisoners, although some prisoners such as Verrill Rapp had already been transferred
from Alcatraz some months earlier.[10] On the first anniversary as a federal penitentiary, on June 30,
1935, the Bureau of Prisons observed that: "The establishment of this institution not only provided a
secure place for the detention of the more difficult type of criminal but has had a good effect upon
discipline in our other penitentiaries also. No serious disturbance of any kind has been reported during the
year." The metal detectors initially caused a problem by overheating and often had to be turned off. After
the failure of the Teletouch Corporation to amend the problem, in 1937 their contract was terminated and
they were charged over $200 for three new detectors supplied by Federal Laboratories.[10]
On January 10, 19358, a severe storm caused a landslide on Alcatraz and killed 130289 people,
causing the Model Industries Building to slide.[10] This marked the start of a series of changes to the
structures on the island. A riprap was built around it and it was strengthened and a guard tower added to
5
the roof in June 1936, and the same month the barracks building was remodeled into 11 new apartments
and nine single rooms for bachelors; by this time there were 52 families living on Alcatraz Island,
including 126 women and children.[10] The problems with the industries building and continuing utility
problems with some of the old buildings and systems led to extensive updates in 1937, including new
tool-proof grills on the ventilators on the roof of the cell house, two new boilers installed in the power
house and a new pump for salt water sanitation and guardrails added to stairways.[10] In 1939–40, a $1.1
million redevelopment was under swing, including construction of the New Industries Building, a
complete overhaul of the power house with a new diesel engine, the building of a new water tower to
solve the water storage problem, new apartment blocks for officers, improvements to the dock, and the
conversion of D-block into isolation cells.[10] The changes were completed in July 1941. The workshops
of the New Industries Building became highly productive in the making of army uniforms and cargo nets
and other items which were in high demand during World War II and in June 1945 it was reported that
the federal penitentiaries had made 60,000 nets.[10]

1.3 Notoriety

Alcatraz gained notoriety from its inception as the toughest prison in America and considered by
many to be the world's most fearsome prison of the time, and former prisoners would frequently report
acts of brutality and inhumane conditions which severely tested their sanity.[15][16][17] Ed Wutkewas the
first prisoner to commit suicide in Alcatraz. Rufe Persful chopped off his fingers after grabbing an axe
from the firetruck, begging another inmate to do the same to his other hand.[17] One writer descried
Alcatraz as "the great garbage can of San Francisco Bay, into which every federal prison dumped its most
rotten apples."[18] In 1939, the new U.S. Attorney General Frank Murphy attacked the penitentiary, saying
"The whole institution is conductive to psychology that builds up a sinister ambitious attitude among
prisoners."[10] The reputation of the prison was not helped by the arrival of more of America's most
dangerous crooks including Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", in 1942, who spent 17 years at
Alcatraz. He entered the prison system at age 19, and never left. Stroud killed a guard, tangled with other
inmates and spent 42 of his 54 years in prison in solitary confinement. However, somewhat contradicting
its reputation and the fact that many former inmates named it "Hellcatraz" based on its horrors, some
prisoners reported that the living conditions in Alcatraz were much better than most other prisons in the
country, especially the food, and many volunteered to come to Alcatraz.[8]
On December 3, 1940, Henri Young murdered fellow inmate Rufus McCain by running
downstairs from the furniture shop to the tailor's shop where McCain worked and violently stabbing
McCain in the neck; McCain died five hours later.[10] Young had been sentenced to Alcatraz for murder
in 1933, and was involved in an escape attempt at Alcatraz during which the famous gangster Doc
Barker was shot to death. He spent nearly 22 months in solitary confinement as a result, but was
eventually permitted to work in the furniture shop. Young went on trial in 1941, with his attorneys
claiming that their client could not be held responsible for the murder, since he had allegedly been
subjected to "cruel and unusual punishment" by prison guards prior to the act; the whole affair ended up
bringing Alcatraz into further disrepute.[10] Ultimately, Young was convicted of manslaughter and his
prison sentence was only extended by a few years.
6
 1.4 Final years

By the 1950s, the prison conditions had

improved and prisoners were gradually permitted more
privileges such as the playing of musical instruments,
watching movies on weekends, painting, and radio use;
the strict code of silence became more relaxed and
prisoners were permitted to talk quietly.[17] However,
the prison continued to be unpopular on the mainland
into the 1950s; it was by far the most expensive prison
institution in the United States and continued to be
perceived by many as America's most extreme
jail.[19][10] In his annual report for 1952, director James
V. Bennett called for a more centralized institution to replace Alcatraz.[10] A 1959 report indicated that
Alcatraz was more than three times more expensive to run than the average US prison; $10 per prisoner
per day compared to $3 in most other prisons.[20] The problem of Alcatraz was exacerbated by the fact
that the prison had seriously deteriorated structurally from exposure to the salt air and wind and would
need $5 million to fix. Major repairs began in 1958, but by 1961 the prison was evaluated by engineers to
be a lost cause and Robert F. Kennedy submitted plans for a new maximum-security institution
at Marion, Illinois.[10] After the June 1962 escape from Alcatraz, the prison was the subject of heated
investigations, and with the major structural problems and ongoing expense, the prison finally closed on
21 March 1963.[20] The final Bureau of Prisons report said of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: "The
institution served an important purpose in taking the strain off the older and greatly overcrowded
institutions in Atlanta, Leavenworth and McNeil Island since it enabled us to move to the smaller, closely
guarded institution for the escape artists, the big-time racketeers, the inveterate connivers and those who
needed protection from other groups."[10]
Today the penitentiary is a museum and one of San Francisco's major tourist attractions, attracting
some 1.5 million visitors annually.[21][22] Visitors arrive by boat at the port, and are given a tour of the
cellhouse and island, and a slide show and audio narration with anecdotes from former inmates, guards
and rangers on Alcatraz.[23] The atmosphere of the former penitentiary is still considered to be "eerie",
"ghostly" and "chilling".[23] Protected by the National Park Service and the National Register of Historic
Places, the badly eroded buildings of the former prison have been subject to restoration works in recent
times and maintained.[24]
1.5 Escape attempts

According to the prison's correctional officers, once a convict arrived on the Alcatraz wharf, his
first thoughts were on how to leave.[25] During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary claimed that no
prisoner successfully escaped. A total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, two men trying twice; 23
were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and five are listed as "missing
and presumed drowned".[26]
The first unsuccessful attempt to escape the prison was made on April 27, 1936, by Joseph
Bowers, who was assigned the duty of burning trash at the incinerator. He tried to escape during duty
7
hours by scaling a chain link fence at the edge of the island. When he was caught in this act and refused
orders of the correctional officer located at the West Road guard tower to come down he was shot. He
was seriously injured in the fall from over 15 m (50 ft) and consequently died.[8]
The first escape attempt to shatter Alcatraz's reputation as an "escape-proof" prison was made on
December 16, 1937, by Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe. During their work assignment in one of the
workshops, they cut the flat iron bars of the window and climbed into the bay waters to escape. It was a
stormy day and the bay water was highly turbulent. As the escapees were not found, they were declared
drowned by the prison authorities as it was conjectured that they drowned in the bay and their bodies
swept out into the sea due to the turbulent bay currents.[8]

The most violent escape attempt occurred on May 2–4, 1946, when a failed attempt by six
prisoners led to the Battle of Alcatraz, also known as the "Alcatraz Blastout". It was carried out by six
prisoners; Bernard Coy, Joseph Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Clarence Carnes, Marvin Hubbard and Miran
Thompson. They daringly took control of the cell house by overpowering correctional officers, and were
able to enter the weapons room, where they then demanded keys to the outside recreation door. A quick-
thinking guard, William Miller, turned over all but the key to the outer door, which he pocketed. The
prisoners’ aim was to escape by boat from the dock, but when they were unable to open the outside door,
they decided to battle it out. In the fight that ensued they managed to hold two correctional officers,
including Miller, hostage. Prompted by Shockley and Thompson, Cretzer shot the hostages at very close
range. Miller succumbed to his injuries while the second guard, Harold Stites, was also killed at the
cellhouse. Although Shockley, Thompson, and Carnes returned to their cells, the other three, Coy,
Cretzer and Hubbard, persisted with their fight. The U.S. Marinesintervened to help the correctional
officers and killed the three prisoners. In this battle, apart from the guards and prisoners killed, 17 other
guards and one prisoner were also injured. Shockley, Thompson, and Carnes were tried for the killing of
the correctional officers. Shockley and Thompson were sentenced to death via the gas chamber, which
was carried out at San Quentin in December 1948. However, Carnes, who was only 19 years of age, was
given a second life sentence.[8][27]

On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin carried out one of the most
intricate escapes ever devised. Behind the prisoners' cells in Cell Block B (where the escapees were

8
interned) was an unguarded 3-foot (0.91 m) wide utility corridor. The prisoners chiselled away the
moisture-damaged concrete from around an air vent leading to this corridor, using tools such as a metal
spoon soldered with silver from a dime and an electric drill improvised from a stolen vacuum cleaner
motor. The noise was disguised by accordions played during music hour, and the progress was concealed
by false walls which, in the dark recesses of the cells, fooled the guards.[8]

Side view of model head found in Frank Morris's cell

The escape route led up through a fan vent; the prisoners removed the fan and motor, replacing
them with a steel grill and leaving a shaft large enough for a prisoner to enter. Stealing
a carborundum abrasive cord from the prison workshop, the prisoners then removed the rivets from the
grill. In their beds, they placed papier-mâché dummies made with human hair stolen from the barbershop.
The escapees also constructed an inflatable raft over many weeks from over 50 stolen raincoats, which
they prepared on the top of the cellblock, concealed from the guards by sheets which had been put up
over the sides. They escaped through a vent in the roof and departed Alcatraz.[8][27]
The official investigation by the FBI was aided by another prisoner, Allen West, who was part of
the escapees' group but was left behind. West's false wall kept slipping so he held it in place with cement,
which set. When Morris and the Anglins accelerated the schedule, West desperately chipped away at the
wall, but by the time he got out, his companions were gone. Hundreds of leads and theories have been
pursued by the FBI and local law enforcement officials in the ensuing years, but no conclusive evidence
has ever surfaced favoring the success or failure of the attempt.[28] The FBI's investigation from 1962 to
December 1979 was finally treated as closed.[29] The official report on the escape concludes that the
prisoners drowned in the cold waters of the bay while trying to reach the mainland, it being unlikely that
they made it the 1.25 miles to shore due to the strong ocean currents and the cold sea water temperatures
ranging between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit.[8][27]
The U.S. Marshals Service case file remains open and active, however, Morris and the Anglin
brothers remain on its wanted list.[30] Circumstantial evidence uncovered in the early-2010s seemed to
suggest that the men had survived, and that contrary to the official FBI report of the escapee's raft never
being recovered and no car thefts being reported, a raft was discovered on nearby Angel Island with
footprints leading away, and a car had been stolen on the night of the escape by three men, who could
have been Morris and the Anglins, and that officials then engaged in a cover-up.[31] Relatives of the
Anglin brothers presented further circumstantial evidence in the mid-2010s in support of a longstanding
rumor that the Anglin brothers had fled to Brazil following the escape; a facial recognition analyst
concluded that the one piece of physical evidence, a 1975 photograph of two men resembling John and
Clarence Anglin, did support that conclusion.[32][33]

9
 Chapter II: Administration

The prison initially had a staff of 155, including the first warden James
A. Johnston and associate warden Cecil J. Shuttleworth, both considered to be
"iron men".[14] None of the staff were trained in rehabilitation but were highly
trained in security.[14] The guards and staff of Alcatraz were subject to varying
salaries. A new guard arriving in December 1948 was offered $3,024.96 per
year, but there was a 6% deduction for retirement taxes a year (amounting to
$181.50).[34] The guards typically worked 40-hour weeks with five 8-hour
shifts.[34] Guards who worked between 6 pm and 6 am were given a 10% increase and guards doing
overtime had to be reported and authorized by the warden.[34] Officers generally had to pay 25 cents for
meals and were charged $10 to rent an apartment on the island, to include laundry service, although
larger families were charged anything from $20–43 a month for larger quarters and charged additional for
laundry.[34] In 1960, a Bureau of Prisons booklet revealed that the average prison population between
1935 and 1960 was 263; the highest recorded was 302 in 1937 and the lowest recorded was 222 in
1947.[35]

Casefile of a prisoner from the Warden's notebook

The main centre for administration was at the entrance to the prison, which included the warden's
office. The office contained a desk with radio and telegraph equipment, typewriter, and a
telephone.[36] The administrative office section also had the offices of the associate warden and secretary,
mail desk, captain's desk, a business office, a clerk's office, an accounting office, a control room which
was added with modern technology in 1961, the officer's lounge, armory and vault, and a visitation centre
and restrooms. The basement of Alcatraz prison contained dungeons and the showers.[37] The main
stairway to the dungeon lay along Sunrise Alley at the side of A-Block, but the dungeons were also
accessible by a staircase in a trapdoor along the corridor of D-Block. All visits to Alcatraz required prior
written approval from the warden.[38]
A hospital had originally been installed at Alcatraz during its time as a military prison in the late
19th century.[39] During its time as a federal penitentiary, it was located above the dining hall on the
second floor. Hospital staff were U.S. Public Health Service employees assigned to the Federal Prison
Service at Alcatraz.[40] Doctors often lasted fewer than several days or months at Alcatraz, because few of
them could tolerate the violent inmates who would often terrify them if they failed to be given certain
drugs.[40] Prisoners in ill health were often kept in the hospital, most famously, Stroud and Al Capone,
who spent years in it.[41][42]

2.1 Security
When the Bureau of Prisons took over the area to establish the Alcatraz Island Federal
Penitentiary on January 1, 1934, it marked the beginning of a series of measures to strengthen the security
of the prison cells to make Alcatraz an "escape-proof" maximum security prison, and also improving the
living conditions for the operation and maintenance staff and officers, apart from the prisoners. Modern
technological innovations available at the time for enhancing security and comfort were built into the
10
buildings. Security 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", and windows were
made secure with iron grills. Electromagnetic metal detectors placed in the entrance of the dining hall and
workshops, with remote controlled tear gas canisters at appropriate locations, remote controlled gun
galleries with machine gun armed guards were installed to patrol along the corridors. Improvements were
made to the toilet and electricity facilities, old tunnels were sealed up
with concrete to avoid hiding and escape by prisoners, and substantial
changes and improvements were made to the housing facilities of
guards, wardens and Captain to live with their families, with quality
relative to rank. Warden Johnston, U.S. Attorney General Homer
Cummings, and Sanford Bates first Director of the Bureau of Prisons,
collaborated very closely to create "a legendary prison" suited to the
times, which resulted in the Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary being
nicknamed "Uncle Sam's Devil's Island."[43]

Despite Alcatraz being designed to house the "worst of the worst"

of criminals who caused problems at other prisons, under the guidelines
and regulations set by the strict prison administrators, courts could not
direct a prisoner to be directly sent to Alcatraz, however notorious they
were for misbehavior and attempted escape from other
prisons.[43] Prisoners entering Alcatraz would undergo vigorous research
and assessments prior to their arrival. Security in the prison was very tight,
with the constant checking of bars, doors, locks, electrical fixtures, and
other areas to ensure that security hadn't been broken.[44] During a standard
day the prisoners would be counted 13 times, and the ratio of prisoners to guards was the lowest of any
American prison of the time.[45][46] The front door was made of solid steel, virtually impossible for any
prisoners to escape through.[47] The island had many guard towers, most of which have since been
demolished, which were heavily guarded at various points in the day at times when security may have
been breached; for instance, there were guard towers on each of the industry buildings to ensure that
inmates didn't attempt to escape during the work day shifts. The recreation yard and other parts of the
prison had a 25-foot fence around it topped with barbed wire,[15] should any inmates attempt to escape
during exercise. One former employee of the jail likened his prison job to being a zoo keeper or his old
farm job, due to the fact that prisoners were treated like animals, sending them out to "plough the fields"
when some of them worked during the day, and then counting them up and feeding them and so on.[44] He
referred to those four years of his life working in the prison as a "total waste of his life".[44] The corridors
were regularly patrolled by the guards, with passing gates along them; the most heavily trafficked
corridor was "Broadway" between B and C Block, due to its being the central corridor of the prison and
passed not only by guards but other prison workers.[48]
At the end of each 20 minute meal in the dining hall, the forks, spoons and knives were laid out
on the table and carefully counted to ensure that nothing had been taken as a potential weapon. In the
earlier years as a prison, prisoners were forbidden from talking while eating, but this was later relaxed,
provided that the prisoners communicated quietly.[44] [49]
The gun gallery was situated in the Recreation Yard and mounted on one of the dining hall's
exterior walls.[50] There was a metal detector outside of the dining hall for security purposes. The dining
hall had tear-gas canisters attached to the rafters of the ceiling which could be activated by remote
control, should prisoners riot or attempt to escape.[51][16] The first warden, James A. Johnston, always
entered the dining hall alone and unarmed, due to heavy guarding around him.[52] Several riots did break
out in the dining hall during Alcatraz's history. Those prisoners who were not involved in the fighting hid
under the dining hall tables to escape possible gunfire.[53]

11
 Chapter III: Prison life and the cells

An inmate register reveals that there were 1,576 prisoners in total

held at Alcatraz during its time as a Federal Penitentiary, although figures
reported have varied and some have stated 1557.[61][62] The prison cells,
purposefully designed so that none adjoined an outside wall,[16] typically
measured 9 feet (2.7 m) by 5 feet (1.5 m) and 7 feet (2.1 m) high.[63] The
cells were primitive with a bed, a desk and a washbasin and toilet on the
back wall and few furnishings except a blanket.[63] An air vent, measuring
6 inches (150 mm) by 9 inches (230 mm), covered by a metal grill, lay at
the back of the cells which led into the utility corridors. [63] Prisoners had
no privacy in going to the toilet and the toilets would emit a strong stench because they were flushed with
salt water. Hot water faucets were not installed until the early 1960s, shortly before closure.[63]
The penitentiary established a very strict regimen of
rules and regulations under the title "the Rules and
Regulations for the Government and Discipline of the United
States Penal and Correctional Institutions" and also a "Daily
Routine of Work and Counts" to be followed by the prisoners
and also the guards; copies of these were provided to the
prisoners to read and follow. Inmates were basically entitled
to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else
was seen as a privilege. Inmates were given a blue shirt, grey
pants (blue and white in later years[61]), cotton long
underwear, socks and a blue handkerchief; the wearing of
caps was forbidden in the cellhouse.[63] Cells were expected to
be kept tidy and in good order. Any dangerous article found in
the cells or on inmates such as money, narcotics, intoxicating substances or tools which had the potential
to inflict injury or assist in an escape attempt was considered contraband and made the prisoners eligible
for disciplinary action.[61] It was compulsory for prisoners to shave in their cells three times a week.
Attempting to bribe, intimidate, or assault prison officers was seen as a very serious offense.[61] African-
Americans were segregated from the rest in cell designation due to
racial abuse being prevalent.[64] Toilet paper, matches, soap, and
cleanser were issued to the cells on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and
inmates could request hot water and a mop to clean their cells.[61] The
bars, windows and floors of the prison were cleaned on a daily
basis.[64] In earlier years there was a strict code of silence but by the
1950s this had relaxed and talking was permitted in the cellhouse and
dining hall provided conversations were quiet and there was no
shouting, loud talking, whistling or singing.[61]

12
 Prisoners would be woken at 6:30 am, and sent to breakfast at 6:55 am. After returning to the cell,
inmates then had to tidy their cell and place the waste basket outside.[61] At 7:30 am, work started in the
shifts for those privileged enough to do so, punctuated by a whistle, and prisoners would have to go
through a metal detector during work shifts.[44] If assigned a job, prisoners had to accept that line of work;
prisoners were not permitted to have money in their possessions but earnings went into a prisoner's Trust
Fund.[61] Some of the prisoners were assigned duties with the guards and foremen in the Laundry, Tailor
Shop, Cobblers Shop, Model Shop etc. and in gardening and labor. Smoking, a privilege, was permitted
in the workplace providing there wasn't any hazardous condition, but inmates were not permitted to
smoke between the recreation yard and work. Lunch was served at 11:20 am, followed by a 30-minute
rest in the cell, before returning to work until 16:15.[44] Dinner was served at 16:25 and the prisoners
would then retire to their cells to be locked in for the night at 16:50, and lights went off at
21:30.[44][65] After being locked in for the night, 6 guards usually patrolled the four cell blocks.[64] Many
prisoners have compared their duration at Alcatraz to hell and would have preferred death to continued
incarceration.[66]
Alcatraz Library was located at the end of D-Block. Upon entering Alcatraz, every inmate was
given a library card and a catalog of books found in the library; inmates could 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.[67][68][65] The library, which utilized a closed-stack paging
system, had a collection of 10,000 to 15,000 books, mainly left over from the army days.[69][68][65] Inmates
were permitted a maximum of three books in addition to up to 12 text books, a Bible, and a
dictionary.[65] They were permitted to subscribe to magazines but crime-related pages were torn out and
newspapers were prohibited.[68] Sex, crime and violence were censored from all books and magazines,
and the library was governed by a chaplain who regulated the censorship and the nature of the reading
material to ensure that the material was wholesome.[65] [69] Failure to return books by the date given made
the inmate liable to removal of privileges.[65] The average prisoner read 75 to 100 books a year.[70] Every
evening, inmates would generally read books loaned from the library and usually an hour or 75 minutes
was allocated to the practicing of musical instruments, from the guitar to the accordion. A prison band
often practiced in the dining room or auditorium above it; Al Capone famously practiced the banjo in the
shower block, although most prisoners were limited to playing in their cells alone.[71]

13
 3.1 Corridors

Alcatraz cellhouse had a corridor naming system named after

major American streets and landmarks. Michigan Avenue was the
corridor to the side of A-Block, and Broadway was the central corridor in
which the inmates would assemble as they massed through Times Square
(an area with a clock on the wall), before entering the dining hall for their
meals. Broadway separated Block-B and Block-C and prisoners kept
along it had the least privacy in the prison.[72] The corridor between
Block-C and the library was called Park Avenue.[72] The corridor in D-
Block was named Sunset Strip. Gun galleries lay at the end of each block, including the West and East
Gun Galleries.[5]:76

3.2 A-Block
Due to the fact that during the time as a federal penitentiary no inmates were ever permanently
held here, A-Block was never modernized, so retained its "flat strap-iron bars, key locks and spiral
staircases" from the original military prison.[73] Several inmates, however, were held briefly in A-Block
before a hearing or transfer.[73] In the later years of the state penitentiary, the A-Block was mainly used
for extra storage and a law library was installed here at one point and it was a place where inmates could
type legal documents.[73] A small barber's shop was located at the end of A-block where inmates would
have a monthly haircut.[73]

3.3 B-Block

The majority of the new inmates in Alcatraz were

assigned to the second tier of B-Block.[74] They had "quarantine
status" for their first three months in confinement in Alcatraz, and
were not permitted visitors for a minimum of 90
days.[74][75] Inmates were permitted one visitor a month, although
anybody likely to cause trouble such as registered criminals were
barred from visiting. Letters received by inmates were checked
by prison staff first, to see if they could decipher any secret
messages.[13][76] Frank Morris and his fellow escapees escaped
Alcatraz during the June 1962 escape from Alcatraz by entering a
utility corridor behind B-Block.[5]:120

3.4 D-Block

D-Block gained notoriety as a "Treatment block" for some of the

worst inmates, with varying degrees of punishment, including Isolation,
Solitary and Strip.[77] Prisoners usually spent anywhere from 3 to 19 days
in Solitary.[77] Prisoners held here would be given their meals in their
cells, were not permitted to work and could only shower twice a week.
After a 1939 escape attempt in which Arthur "Doc" Barker was killed,
the Bureau of Prisons tightened security in the D-Block. The Birdman of
Alcatraz inhabited cell 42 in D-Block in solitary confinement for 6 years.

14
 The worst cells for confinement as a punishment for inmates who stepped out of line were located
at the end of D-Block in cells 9–14, known as "The Hole".[78] The cells were devoid of light and colder
than the rest of the prison, and prisoners sent here were regularly stripped, beaten, tortured, often starved,
and forced to sleep on the cold concrete floor wearing nothing but light underwear.[79][78] In turn, guards
were abused, and often had feces, urine or food thrown at them or were spat at.[77] Inmates held in the
hole were limited to just one 10-minute shower and an hour of exercise in the yard a week.[80][77] The five
cells of "The Hole" had nothing but a sink and toilet and the very worst cell was nicknamed "The
Oriental" or "Strip Cell", the final cell of the block with nothing but a hole in the floor as a toilet, in
which prisoners would often be confined naked with nothing else for two days.[72][77] The guards
controlled the flushing of the toilet in that cell.[10] A hatchway in the floor on D-Block also led to the
dungeon in the basement which contained several cells. The worst behaved inmates would be locked
inside their cells in the dungeon, chained to the walls.[79] They were given a meager diet of bread and
water each day, and one regular meal every three days, although the quantity and duration often varied
relative to the extent of the punishment. Denied of proper toilet facilities,[79] they were given a bucket as a
toilet, emptied once a week, and stripped and chained to the wall standing at nights; according to Alvin J.
Esau, prisoners in solitary confinement were "placed on a starvation diet and made to stand nine hours
each day with hands tied and their feet barely touching the floor."[81] After completing the punishment in
the hole, the prisoner could then return to his cell but be tagged; a red tag, third grade, denoted a prisoner
who was restricted from leaving his cell for perhaps 3 months.[44] At second grade the prisoners could
receive letters, and if after 30 days they remained behaved, they would then be restored full prison
privileges.[44]
Its size was approximately that of a regular cell-9 feet by 5 feet by about 7 feet high. I could just
touch the ceiling by stretching out my arm... You are stripped nude and pushed into the cell. Guards take
your clothes and go over them minutely for what few grains of tobacco may have fallen into the cuffs or
pockets. There is no soap. No tobacco. No toothbrush, The smell – well you can describe it only by the
word 'stink.' It is like stepping into a sewer. It is nauseating. After they have searched your clothing, they
throw it at you. For bedding, you get two blankets, around 5 in the evening. You have no shoes, no bed,
no mattress-nothing but the four damp walls and two blankets. The walls are painted black. Once a day I
got three slices of bread-no-that is an error. Some days I got four slices. I got one meal in five days, and
nothing but bread in between. In the entire thirteen days I was there, I got two meals... I have seen but
one man get a bath in solitary confinement, in all the time that I have been there. That man had a bucket
of cold water thrown over him.

15
 3.5 Dining

Alcatraz Dining Hall, often referred to as the Mess Hall, is the

dining hall where the prisoners and staff ate their meals. It is a long
wing on the west end of the Main Cellhouse of Alcatraz, situated in
the center of the island.[83] It is connected to the block by a corridor
known as "Times Square", as it passes beneath a large clock
approaching the entrance way to the dining hall.[5]:93 This wing
includes the dining hall and the kitchen beyond it. On the second floor
was the hospital and the auditorium, which was where movies were
screened to the inmates at weekends.[84]
Dining hall protocol was a scripted process, including a whistle system to indicate which block
and tier of men would move into and out of the hall at any given time, who sat where, where to place
hands, and when to start eating.[85] Prisoners would be awakened at 6:30 am, and sent to breakfast at 6:55
am.[44] A breakfast menu is still preserved on the hallway board, dated 21 March 1963. The breakfast
menu included assorted dry cereals, steamed whole wheat, a scrambled egg, milk, stewed fruit, toast,
bread, and butter. Lunch was served in the dining hall at 11:20 am, followed by a 30-minute rest in the
cell, before returning to work until 16:15.[44] Dinner was served at 16:25 and the prisoners would then go
to their cells at 16:50 to be locked in for the night.[44] Inmates were permitted to eat as much as they liked
within 20 minutes, provided they left no waste; waste would be reported and may make the prisoner
subject to removal of privileges if they made a habit of it.[86][45]
Each dining table had benches which held up to six men, although smaller tables and chairs later
replaced these which seated four.[49] All of the prison population, including the guards and officials would
dine together, thus seating over 250 people.[49][87] The food served at Alcatraz was reportedly the best in
the United States prison system.[86]
3.6 Recreation

The Recreation Yard was the yard used by inmates of the prison
between 1934 and 1963. It is located opposite the dining hall south of
the end of D-Block, facing the mainland on a raised level surrounded by
a high wall and fence above it.[88][89][90] Guard Tower #3 lay just to the
west of the yard.[91] The gun gallery was situated in the yard, mounted
on one of the dining hall's exterior walls.[50]
In 1936, the previously dirt-covered yard was paved.[92] The yard
was part of the most violent escape attempt from Alcatraz in May 1946
when a group of inmates hatched a plot to obtain the key into the
recreation yard, kill the tower guards, take hostages, and use them as shields to reach the dock.[93]
Inmates were permitted out into the yard on Saturdays and Sundays and on holidays for a
maximum of 5 hours.[94][95] Inmates who worked seven days a week in the kitchen were rewarded with
short yard breaks during the weekdays.[95] Badly behaved prisoners were liable to having their yard
access rights taken away from them on weekends.[95] The prisoners of Alcatraz were permitted to play
games such as baseball, softball and other sports at these times and intellectual games such
as chess.[94] Because of the small size of the yard and the diamond at the end of it, a section of the wall
behind the first base had to be padded to cushion the impact of inmates overrunning it.[96] Inmates were
provided gloves, bats, and balls, but no sport uniforms. In 1938, there were four amateur teams, the Bees,
Oaks, Oilers, and Seals, named after Minor League clubs, and four league teams named after Major
League clubs, the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, and Tigers.[97] Many of the inmates used weekends in the
yards to converse with each other and discuss crime, the only real opportunities they had during the week
for a durable conversation.[98]
16
 Chapter IV: Other buildings
4.1 Warden's House

The Warden's House was the home of the penitentiary's warden. It is located at the northeastern
end of the Main Cellblock, next to Alcatraz Lighthouse. The 3-floor 15-room mansion was built in 1921
according to the Golden Gate National Recreational Area signpost, although some sources say it was
built in 1926 or 1929 and had 17 or 18 rooms.
Between 1934 and 1963, the four wardens of Alcatraz resided here, including the first
warden, James A. Johnston. A house of luxury, in stark contrast to the jail next to it, the wardens often
held lavish cocktail parties here. The signpost at the spot shows a photograph of a trusted inmate doing
chores at the house for the warden and that the house had a terraced garden and greenhouse. The mansion
had tall windows, providing fine views of San Francisco Bay. Today, the house is a ruin, burned down by
Native Americans during the Occupation of Alcatraz on June 1, 1970.

4.2 Building 64

Building 64 Residential Apartments was the first building constructed on the island of Alcatraz,
intended entirely for the purpose of accommodating the military officers and their families living on the
island. Located next to the dock on the southeastern side of the island, below the Warden's House, the
three-story apartment block was built in 1905 on the site of a U.S. Army barracks which had been there
from the 1860s. It functioned as the Military Guard Barracks from 1906 until 1933. One of its largest
apartments in the southwest corner was known as the "Cow Palace" and a nearby alleyway was known as
"Chinatown".

4.3 Social Hall

The Social Hall, also known as the Officers' Club, was a social
club located on the northwestern side of the island. Located in proximity
to the Power House, water tower and Former Military Chapel (Bachelor
Quarters), it formerly housed the post exchange. The club was a social
venue for the Federal Penitentiary workers and their families on the
island to unwind after a hard week's work dealing with America's most
hardened criminals after they'd been locked up at 17:30. It was burned

17
down by Native Americans during the Occupation of Alcatraz in 1970, leaving a shell which still
remains.
The club had a small bar, library, large dining and dance floor, billiards table, ping pong table and
a two-lane bowling alley, and was the centre of social life on the island for the employees of the
penitentiary. It regularly hosted dinners, bingo events, and from the 1940s onwards showed movies every
Sunday night after they had been shown to the inmates during the day on Saturday and Sunday. The club
was responsible for organizing numerous special events on the island (held either in the hall or the Parade
Grounds) and the fundraising associated with it, anything from ice cream and watermelon feasts
to Halloween fancy dress and Christmas parties.

4.4 Power House

The Power House is located on the northwest coast of Alcatraz Island. It was constructed in 1939
for $186,000 as part of a $1.1 million modernization scheme which also included the water tower, New
Industries Building, officers quarters and remodeling of the D-block.[74] The white powerhouse
smokestack and lighthouse were said to give an "appearance of a ship's mast on either side of the
island".A sign reading "A Warning. Keep Off. Only Government permitted within 200 yards" lay in front
of the powerhouse to deter people landing on the island at the point.
Between 1939 and 1963, it supplied power to the Federal Penitentiary and other buildings on the
island. The powerhouse had a tower duty station which was guarded with a "30-caliber Winchester rifle
with 50 rounds of ammunition, a 1911 semiautomatic pistol with three seven-round magazines, three gas
grenades, and a gas mask."

4.5 Alcatraz Water Tower

The Water Tower is located on the northwestern side of the island,

near Tower No. 3, beyond the Morgue and Recreation Yard. The water tank
is situated on six cross-braced steel legs submerged in concrete foundations.
As Alcatraz had no water supply of its own, it had to import it from
the mainland, brought by tug and barge. During the island's military years,
there were in-ground water tanks and water tanks were situated on the roof
of the citadel. The water tower was built in 1940–41 by the Federal Bureau
of Prisons, after the island received a government renovations grant to
supply the majority of the island's fresh water.
It is the tallest building on the island, at a height of 94 feet (29 m)
with a volume of 250,000 US gallons (950 kL) gallons of fresh water. It
was used to store potable water for drinking, water for firefighting, and
water for the island's service laundry facility.

4.6 Model Industries Building

The Model Industries Building is a three/four-story building on the northwest corner of Alcatraz
Island. This building was originally built by the U.S. military and was used as a laundry building until the
New Industries Building was built as part of a redevelopment program on Alcatraz in 1939 when it was a
federal penitentiary. As part of the Alcatraz jail, it held workshops for inmates to work in.

18
 On January 10, 1935, the building shifted to within 2.5 feet from the edge of the cliff following a
landslide caused by a severe storm. The warden at the time, James A. Johnston, proposed extend the
seawall next to it and asked the Bureau for $6500 to fund it; he would later claim to dislike the building
because it was irregularly shaped.[74] A smaller, cheaper riprap was completed by the end of 1935. A
guard tower and a catwalk from Hill Tower was added to the roof of the Industries Building in June 1936
and the building was made secure with bars from old cells to bar the windows and grill the roof
ventilators and to prevent inmates from escaping from the roof.[74] It ceased use as a laundry in 1939
when it was moved to the upper floor of the New Industries Building. Today the building is heavily
rusted after decades of exposure to the salt air and wind, and neither the guard tower on top of the
building nor the Hill Tower still exist.
4.7 New Industries Building

The New Industries Building was constructed in 1939 for $186,000 as part of a $1.1 million
modernization scheme which also included the water tower, power house, officers' quarters and
remodeling of the D-block.[10]
The ground floor of the two-story 306 ft long building contained a clothing factory, dry cleaning
plant, furniture plant, brush factory, and an office, where prisoners of the federal penitentiary could work
for money.[10] They earned a small wage for their labour which was put into an account, known as a
Prisoner's Trust Fund, which would be given to them upon leaving Alcatraz. They made items such as
gloves, furniture mats, and army uniforms. The laundry room occupied the entire upper floor, the largest
in San Francisco at the time.[10] Each window has 9 panes and there are 17 bays on each floor on either
side.

19
 Chapter V: Famous inmates

Al Capone George Kelly Robert Stroud

“Machine Gun” “The Birdman of Alcatraz”

Roy Gardner Henri Young Alvin Karpis

James Bulger Mickey Cohen

“Whitey”

20
 While several well-known criminals, such as Al Capone, George "Machine-Gun" Kelly, Alvin
Karpis (the first "Public Enemy #1"), and Arthur "Doc" Barker did time on Alcatraz, most of the 1,576
prisoners incarcerated there were not well-known gangsters, but prisoners who refused to conform to the
rules and regulations at other Federal institutions, who were considered violent and dangerous, or who
were considered escape risks. Alcatraz served as the prison system's prison - if a man did not behave at
another institution, he could be sent to Alcatraz, where the highly structured, monotonous daily routine
was designed to teach an inmate to follow rules and regulations.

At Alcatraz, a prisoner had four rights: food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Everything else
was a privilege that had to be earned. Some privileges a prisoner could earn included working,
corresponding with and having visits from family members, access to the prison library, and recreational
activities such as painting and music. Once prison officials felt a man no longer posed a threat and could
follow the rules (usually after an average of 5 years on Alcatraz), he could then be transferred back to
another Federal prison to finish his sentence and be released.

21

Conclusion
Alcatraz has been cited as one of the most "haunted" places in America. The Native Americans
mentioned the evil spirits they purportedly encountered on the island long before it became a military
prison. Mark Twain visited it, found the atmosphere of the island to be scary, and described it as "being
as cold as winter, even in the summer months.” The alleged haunting of the prison has been documented
in numerous paranormal television series. Officials for Alcatraz have dismissed the reports of ghosts at
Alcatraz as nonsense and deny their existence; an official for Alcatraz said in 1994, "These ridiculous
ghost stories will stop tourists from visiting. And how can these people say they heard canaries? We don't
have any birds in here."

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.

In the conclusion, Alcatraz is in the Top 2 places to visit in San Francisco in many touristic guides,
up there with the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s something I had been crazy excited about and had heard good
things about it. So someday I will give it a shot and maybe visit the place.

22
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24
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