13 Reasons Why the Prison of Alcatraz Was the Most Legendary Prisons Of All Times

The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places — Roald Dahl

If you thought only the prison of Azkaban made its name in history then you're absolutely wrong. Come out of the fictional world and I will show you a prison in real-time that was one of its kind and second most popular destination in San Francisco.

Before we go touring around the infamous prison of Alcatraz, let us know certain facts about the place in question. Alcatraz prison is situated on the Alcatraz island. This island is located in San Francisco Bay about 1.25 miles offshore San Francisco, United States.

If you search for the most tourist destinations in San Francisco, three names will make it to the top of the list—

1. The Golden Gate Park,
2. The Golden Gate Bridge, and
3. The Prison of Alcatraz.

Before being a $60 tour for the whole family, Alcatraz was a fully functioning military prison home to the most cold-blooded MEN of the eighteenth century. Yes, it got it right. It was an all-male prison.

Let’s peep into what it was like to be an inmate in one of the most notorious prisons in the world.

1. The One-Cell-One-Inmate Rule

The general rule for Alcatraz was one prison cell and one inmate. The prison had a capacity of 330 prisoners. Giving each inmate his individual cell ensured safety and privacy for the prisoners.

The cells were divided into four blocks — A, B, C, & D. Each of these blocks were used differently. Block A was a damaged series of cells with a lot of unlocking potential. The real bummer was these cells had not hosted any prisoner in a really long time. Blocks B and C had around 336 prisoners housed in 5 feet by 9 feet block.

Whereas, block D was on a separate floor reserved especially for those who were serving solitary confinement. These solitary confinements could extend from a few to days to several weeks. Though the cells in block D were larger than the regular ones, the prisoners had to stay there 24 by 7.

There was only one day where they would get a break from confinement and spend the day at the recreational ground. This ground contained a basketball turf, some gym like equipment, and old-fashioned bars that could be used for exercising creatively.

2. Four Guaranteed Rights For the Prisoners

We all know the basic rights for any human being are food clothing and shelter, the inmates at this prison were no different. Though their actions were far from human, they were still accorded four fixed rights — Food, clothing, shelter. The fourth one is a library that had to be earned through one’s good conduct.

The day any new prisoner was admitted to the prison, they had to go through some rigorous medical tests and even a strip search at the security points. It was customary for them to take a bath before slipping into the prison uniform.

The residents got three mandatory meals a day. They got a place to stay which they could not leave at their will, and they had medical services available as per the needs. They also had dental and mental health clinics inside the prison which hosted a full-time resident doctor until the 1950s.

But during the final years of prison, Alcatraz faced some financial issues and had to cut down their budgets. Hence, instead of a 24-hour physician, they started favoring medical professionals on a contract basis.

There were some inmates, however, who spent most of their time in the infirmary due to their extreme sickness. One such prisoner was Robert Stroud who spent 11 out of 17 years in the hospital due to his kidney infection. Another reason to keep him isolated was the fact that he could be a grave danger for other inmates.

3. Recreational Activities Had to Be Earned by the Inmates

The library in Alcatraz was not like any prison library you may expect it to b. It had huge stacks of books for the inmates to read, if only they had earned it. But the same privileges could be taken away if the inmates misbehaved at any given point.

Also, the inmates weren't allowed to visit the library themselves. But those who had earned these privileges would have to fill up library cards, in which they could also request for other items such as newspapers, magazines, etc.

The best part about these reading materials was that anything that was even remotely related to the crime was removed way before it reached the reader. In the absence of other entertainment sources, reading soon became the most sought after activity for the inmates.

They would actually look forward to it.

Some even started learning law, a different language, or even taking small correspondence courses available. These courses were offered by the University of California in Berkeley. In the 1950s, they were also given headsets to listen to the radio broadcasts for entertainment and information. Of course, these could be retracted if rules were violated.

Apart from the aforementioned, the inmates could also engage in a game of chess or softball. Anyone of their family members was allowed to visit them during the official hours only.

4. The Inmates Had Their Own Rock Band

The inmates even had their own Rock band known as the Rock Islanders. These jamming rights were only given to those who had earned them. The positions in these bands were highly coveted.

Even Al Capone had to beg to become a member of the prestigious band. Capone had apparently written to his son how he had learned to play various instruments like the Tenor, Guitar, Tenor Banjo, and was also learning to play Mandala. He eventually learned to play over 500 songs.

According to one of the former guards George Gregory,

‘’The band itself was only a cut above the fourth or fifth-grade band, but did wonders for their self-esteem.’’

This band played on various festivals, special occasions, or even on Sunday mornings. The inmates were also allowed to purchase some of the instruments but were allowed to practice only between 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM after the 1956 regulations. If an inmate was found violating these rules, not only would his instrument be confiscated but also he will have to face consequences for the same.

5. The Cells Were Basic

How would one expect prison cells to be? Cells at Alcatraz provided the most basic of facilities like a cot, washbasin, and a toilet. Inmates were not allowed to bring any outside items and you could of course not expect a prison to have a gift shop, so the comforts were quite sparse.

One of the famous prisoners Jim Quinlan, the future Yelp reviewer once remarked,

‘’My new living quarters are pretty subpar, nothing that all I saw today was a steel bed, a straw mattress, and a dirty lumpy pillow. Even the toilets have no seat and the washbasins have only one tap for cold water.’’

However, after the prison regulations in the 1950s, the prisoners were allowed to purchase certain items like textbooks, correspondence courses, magazine subscriptions, or even musical instruments.

6. The Rule of Silence in the 1930s

The first-ever warden of the Alcatraz prison, James A Johnson, was popular as the no-nonsense guy. He introduced the rule of ‘absolute silence’ in the prison which was followed until 1937. This helped him keep a watchful eye on the inmates who were then on a mute mode. According to Johnson, prisoners could speak only during meals or recreational times.

But what was weird that he allowed the inmates to smoke as much as they wanted in a day. Apparently, an average prisoner finished off three packets of cigarettes a week, which means smoking was a common occurrence than talking. Err Strange!

But humans are social animals and they cant do with zero communication. So they tried to talk through the pipes between the prison cells, almost like tin-can conversations. Thankfully, the rule was later lifted as it was practically impossible to maintain and downright cruel.

However, the silence rule prevailed for those who were sent into the solitary confinement and as usual, our hero prisoner Quinman once again remarked,

‘’Total silence and darkness are the only companions for 24 hours of the 19 days spent in the hole.’’

7. The Food Quality May Surprise You

The inmates were served three meals a day. The breakfast at around 6:45 AM, lunch around 11:40 AM, and the final meal of the day at a decent 4:25 PM. But the food according to some birdies was the best one in the history of a federal prison.

The Alcatraz kitchen staff served with a lot of pride and some of them even came from culinary backgrounds. A former inmate Bryan Conway once recalled,

‘’Food at Alcatraz is much better than usual prison fare. For dinner, there is meat, beans, coffee, bread, and celery; for supper — chili, tomatoes, and apples with hot tea.’’

According to a full-fledged menu published in 1946, meals included stewed fruits, cereal, milk, bread, and coffee for breakfast. For lunch, a lot of soup and meat were included like roasted pork shoulder, or beef pot pie. Dinners may include the leftovers of the extravagant lunch menus.

These meals were no less than compared the one to a king’s menu including desserts like apple pie cake.

8. Prisoners Worked Almost All Day

Just like we are occupied with some work or other that helps us get through our day, the Alcatraz prisoners were occupied in some work or the other to pass their days in the prison.

Except for the prisoners in the solitary prison, were offered a variety of jobs such as the laundry room, kitchen, or at the docks. Inmates would start working soon after breakfast and earned a good 5 to 12 cents an hour.

In fact, the industry job workers like the laundry room or the woodworking plant, allowed prisoners to deduct two day’s sentence from each month of their sentence in their first year which increased to four days for the second through fourth years. Finally, five days per month from fifth year onwards.

9. Counting Prisoners Several Times in a Day

Funny as it may sound, but the Alcatraz prisoners were counted several times a day to keep them accounted for. Prisoner Conway noted that the bell was a signal for counting of the prisoners. This was a serious business done almost 13 times a day, in lesser than every 30 minutes.

The prisoners were lined up outside their cells and counted before breakfast, at the mess hall, after eating, and before heading for their work. They were also counted before and after lunch, before and after dinner in their cells, and a couple of times after the lights went out at 9:30 PM.

10. Usage of Metal Detectors by Guards

Former inmate Conway had also noted metal detectors when he was sent to the prison. He was introduced to a snitch box or a metal detector, which was used to search a prisoner’s contraband that worked exceptionally well.

The snitch box according to him would raise an alarm on every man who came from the laundry. It was later discovered that the snitch box was picking up metal clasps on the men’s shoes.

A few days later, the snitch box surprisingly remained silent when two men carried knives in their pockets.

There were a total of three metal detectors in the prison for the prisoners and the guests alike. One such embarrassing incident happened with AlCapone’s mom when the metal hooks in her corset kept setting the alarm off, forcing mama Capone to strip down.

11. Communication Was Limited

Communications were an earned privilege in Alcatraz prison. Only limited guests were allowed in the prison subjected to permission from the jail authorities.

As usual, the prisoners in solitary confinement couldn’t receive any letters, the well-behaved ones could send and receive letters that were regulated and monitored by the jail authorities.

According to Brian Conway, this wasn’t an issue as the letters were to and from blood relatives only. The inmates could write to their mothers on Mother’s day but that too was monitored by the prison officials.

The handwritten notes were re-typed and a copy of which was handed over to the inmate.

Even the visitation was highly regulated as now you could imagine and granted only to those who had truly earned it. They got 90-minute visit permission in a month either by a blood relative or a wife where they would talk on a phone through a small glass window.

As expected, these conversations were also closely monitored and any mention of other inmates lead to closing the whole thing down.

12. Escape Attempts Weren’t Uncommon

The story of Alcatraz was so popular that it was even turned into a feature film in the year 1979. The movie ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ depicted perfectly that escaping from this island was nearly impossible. Despite this, 14 different escape attempts were made during the time this prison was in existence involving 36 prisoners.

In its entire lifetime, Alcatraz saw around 1,545 prisoners. The escape attempted looks pretty small in front of the number of inmates. Trying to escape the prison needed rock-solid guts especially if the prisoner did not have a boat of his own.

An inmate Joe Bowers had tried to climb a fence but was shot and died from his injuries. The same year Theodore Cole and Ralph Rose escaped and attempted to win to San Francisco. Unfortunately, they were caught up in a sea storm and their bodies were never found.

In a strange incident in 1945, a prisoner Jon Giles actually put together an army uniform piece by piece by working for years in the laundry room. A day came when he shined in the army officer’s attire and made all the way to the angel island only to be sent back to the prison again. Sad!

The same year was the year of the battle of Alcatraz which was fun too. Six prisoners overpowered the guards and stole their weapons only to discover nobody had the key to the recreation ground. They panicked and started a riot where the gunfires were exchanged between the inmates and the guards.

The infamous battle lasted for a whole two days claiming the lives of three guards and two prisoners.

A few prisoners did try to swim across the sea and reach the nearest shore but their bodies were never found. In 1962, the famous Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, John and Clarence disappeared from their cells and never seen or heard from again. This escape by three prisoners later inspired the film ‘’Escape from Alcatraz’’.

13. Isolation Drove the Inmates Mad

Old friend Conway claimed that the monotony and strict discipline of this guard-house drove 14 of the 317 prisoners violently insane while several others getting a little stir crazy. Sometimes, the doctors blamed inmates for faking a mental illness to acquire some special advantages.

Prisoner Joe Bowers was admitted to Alcatraz in 1934 who when refused to work was thrown into solitary confinement. He had attacked guards twice. His reoccurring fits of rage were later diagnosed as epilepsy. Even a psychiatrist confirmed there might be several indications that he might be truly a psycho.

Once this man was returned to his cell thinking he might be a fake, he tried to take his own life. He eventually died in 1936 while trying to escape.

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