Some time ago, current US President Donald Trump considered reopening Alcatraz Prison Island. "America's most dangerous and violent criminals" were to be housed there. This has been tried before. So let's take a look back.
Alcatraz, San Francisco 1953. The cell door slams shut behind him. While the completely naked man is still trying to find his way around the pitch-black cell, he steps into a hole in the floor. Disgust rises within him as he realizes what his foot is stuck in. He had just found the restroom.
A fictional story, but one that could have happened just like that. Serving time on Alcatraz was already an absolute nightmare. But if you didn't follow the rules, it became hell on earth.
Bad times.
Between 1920 and 1940, the United States of America experienced an unprecedented crime wave. Prohibition and an extreme economic crisis (the Great Depression) were some of the reasons for the rising lawlessness. Crime bosses like Al "Scarface" Carpone and George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes were virtually revered by the public for their actions. The leaders of organized crime had to be locked away immediately. The authorities agreed on this.
The island, located just two kilometers from San Francisco, seemed like a good solution. Alcatraz had been used as a military prison since 1853. In 1934, the facility was converted into a maximum-security prison . Among other things, tear gas canisters were integrated into the ceiling of the dining area, guard towers were placed at strategically important positions, and several metal detectors were installed at the dining hall exit. Of the 600 cells, not a single one was adjacent to an exterior wall. Thus, those attempting to escape not only had to free themselves from their cells, but also from the prison in general.
The 8.5-hectare island quickly gained a reputation as the penitentiary with the strictest management and the harshest punishments. And escape for the exclusively male inmates was virtually impossible due to the security measures . The strong ocean currents in San Francisco Bay then completely shattered any dreams of freedom. " The Rock ," as the island was also called, was feared.
The director of the institution already had experience.
James Aloysius Johnston was in charge of Alcatraz from August 1934 to 1948. At San Quentin, his previous prison, he had successfully introduced continuing education programs and a reward system for inmates with good behavior. When he was entrusted with the management of Alcatraz, he immediately established a number of rules. For example, no prisoner could be sent directly from the court to his care. However, other prisons were able to send their "incorrigible" inmates to the island. This is how agitators and prisoners who attempted escapes ended up in the notorious prison. But even well-known inmates like Al Capone, who enjoyed special privileges due to their status, were transferred to "The Rock."
Things are a little different here.
When the first 200 prisoners arrived in August 1934, they quickly noticed that things were a little different here. There was no special treatment . The inmates even had to earn the right to visit . This was generally not granted for the first three months. Even after that, a maximum of one visit per month was permitted. Letters, whether to or from the prison, were read, censored, and typed again. Work was a privilege that had to be earned. The cells contained only the basic necessities for survival. All contact with the outside world was forbidden. The inmates were not allowed to move around freely; they didn't even know the entire prison building. The men were accompanied everywhere by guards. In most prisons, one corrections officer was responsible for twelve prisoners. In Alcatraz, there were three. Although this allowed the officers to keep a close eye on their inmates, they were still counted twelve times a day.
The daily routine was precisely defined. After being woken at 6:30 a.m., the inmates had just under half an hour to get ready, tidy their cells, and wait outside their cells for the first headcount of the day. At 6:55 a.m., they went to the dining room for breakfast, naturally accompanied by prison officers. The meal had to be finished in no more than 20 minutes, because then it was time to start work.
Silence is golden?
Johnston believed that absolute silence throughout the cellblock would discipline the inmates. Any unnecessary conversation was punishable by ten days in solitary confinement. As it turned out, however, these drastic measures caused other problems. There were many cases in which the constant silence led to severe psychological disorders , even to the point of self-mutilation. Convicted bank robber Rufe Persful resorted to an extreme measure. In a desperate desire to be transferred to another prison, he cut off four fingers of his hand. Shortly thereafter, the dreaded " Code of Silence" was finally relaxed by Johnston.
Drastic measures for violation of the rules.
For inmates who violated the rules, there were far worse punishments than silence. Few prisoners spoke about it. But the few who did report on the conditions behind the island's walls told true horror stories. They told of the so-called "strip cell ," where the inmate was deprived of all peripheral senses.
Specifically, this meant that the prisoner was first stripped of all his clothes. Completely naked, he was then placed in a steel-enclosed cell that was completely dark . There was no sink or toilet. Instead, there was a small hole in the floor that was flushed by the guard. The inmate received only limited food through a small grate in the cell door. For the night, the prisoner was given a mattress to sleep on, which was removed again at dawn. In addition, the officers carried out " disciplinary measures " with rubber hoses, brass knuckles, or even belts. This harsh punishment was applied for a maximum of one or two days.
The hole was even better there.
Less drastic was the "hole." These cells had a sink, toilet, and a dim light bulb. Here, too, the inmates' mattresses were taken away during the day. In grueling boredom and isolation, the prisoners were locked away for up to 19 days . For good behavior, the officers would occasionally open a small cover on the outer steel door to let a little light into the cell.
Inmates who hadn't committed any major violations were kept in standard solitary confinement. They were only allowed outside once a week and shower twice a week. Meals were brought to their cells. The inmates had a view of the mainland, which they interpreted as punishment. Freedom was so close, yet so unattainable.
Shouldn't one dare to escape after all?
It was precisely this sight that made some prisoners consider escape. In the almost 30 years that Alcatraz served as a prison, there were 14 known escape attempts . The first to try was a certain Joseph Bowers, in April 1936. According to an investigation by the ORF on May 12 of this year, however, the man in question was Josef Ebner, an Austrian. The Rohrbach resident, like the other 33 prisoners who attempted to escape, had no chance. All were either caught or lost their lives in the strong ocean currents. Officially, there is not a single confirmed escape from the prison island.
The end of Alcatraz.
Due to the enormous maintenance costs and the dilapidated structural condition, "The Rock" was finally closed by the government in 1963. The saltwater constantly lashing against the walls of the sandstone island had caused corrosion. Renovation would have cost an estimated five million dollars . So, on March 21, 1963, the time had come: Alcatraz Prison was closed.
The island remained deserted until it was claimed by some Indigenous people in 1969. The Indians' grand plans to establish an educational and cultural center for their fellow Americans ultimately faltered due to the lack of natural resources on Alcatraz. Everything had to be brought in by boat, which was an expensive and logistically complex undertaking. In June 1971, government officials finally vacated the island.
Alcatraz has officially been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area since 1972. It opened to the public just over a year later. Every year, millions of people take the opportunity to take a ferry to the prison island and see the prison for themselves.
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Sources:
https://www.alcatrazhistory.com/
http://www.crimemagazine.com/alcatraz-rigid-and-unusual-punishment
Rules of Alcatraz (rules issued to all prisoners).
Photo credits: Ingrid Müller
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