Alcatraz: The ultimate prison

US: “Break the rules and you go to prison. Break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz.” These words, prominently displayed on a wall in one of America’s most famous prison – Alcatraz – cast a dark pall over any inmate who called it home.

For long, Alcatraz was just a lonely island in the middle of San Francisco Bay that was once occupied by the Spanish and later administered by Mexicans.

In later years, it served as a harbour fortification, a military detention unit and a maximum security prison.

It was while serving as a prison that Alcatraz became a symbol of America’s dark side, though most of the stories about the island are more fiction than fact.

How then did Alcatraz become an island steeped in legend?

It all began with the gold rush of the mid 1800s when a decision was made to construct a lighthouse in view of increased ship traffic in the bay area.

To further protect American interests as a result of its new found wealth, Alcatraz was chosen as the site for a military fortification with work commencing in 1853. By 1907, however, Alcatraz was decommissioned as a fortified location.

Next were plans to construct military detention barracks for 600 prisoners. This was the beginning of the work to make Alcatraz the infamous prison it is known for.

The arduous task of remodelling Alcatraz fell on construction engineer and the first commandant Reuben B Turner. His was not an enviable job.

The 12-acre island lacked the materials needed for the much-needed upgrade.

Materials had to be transported from the mainland on barges. Labour was provided by unskilled inmates. Mixing concrete required fresh water, another scarce commodity in Alcatraz. Despite the challenges, reinforced bars replaced the soft, steel barriers. Six guard towers were erected while barbed wire and chain link fences reinforced the perimeter wall.

By the time construction ended in 1912, Alcatraz was the largest, steel-reinforced concrete building in the world. In 1934, control of Alcatraz shifted hands from the US military to the Justice Department that needed a high security facility to incarcerate high-profile criminals following the upsurge of crime that followed the Great Depression.

First prisoners

The first batch of prisoners was picked from other jails where they had become unmanageable.

The most famous of all was one Al “Scarface” Capone who had been convicted of tax evasion. Others were George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert “Birdman” Stroud.

Upon arrival, inmates were assigned a private cell and provided with the most basic necessities such as clothing, food, water and healthcare. Anything above and beyond this was considered a privilege.

Still, in an effort to pacify the prisoners, the cafeteria in Alcatraz was said to be the best in the US prison system. Inmates here dined on a menu of salad, fresh fruit and desserts.

Again, Alcatraz was the only prison in the system that had the provision of warm baths so that prisoners would not get accustomed to cold waters of the Pacific Ocean for the foolhardy ones who would attempt an escape through swimming.

Despite its high security status and enhanced lifestyle, there were some who still attempted to escape. There were 14 attempts to escape Alcatraz during the 29 years it served as a federal prison. Most attempts ended with the prisoners either being captured or killed.

Frank Lee Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin made the most famous escape attempt in 1962. Their elaborate plot is immortalised by the movie ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ starring Clint Eastwood.

Using homemade tools and dining forks, they made their way off the island using rafts made of prison raincoats. However, it has never been established whether they survived the rough and cold waters.

In 1963, a decision was reached by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to close Alcatraz due to escalating costs. The isolation that had made it the ideal high security prison was also its downfall.

Today, Alcatraz, or simply “The Rock” is a popular tourist attraction and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

All the cells and their meagre amenities are well preserved for viewing by the more than a million visitors who flock here annually.