preview

Alcatraz Prison As A Prison

Good Essays

Alcatraz was one of the toughest prisons to escape from with nearly no chance of success. Alcatraz is 22 acres of solid rock and cliffs that was once a military base but after many years as a military base it was transformed into a prison. This landmark is now managed by the National Park services as it is now a big tourist attraction for many. The guards that kept Alcatraz in tact were primarily retired soldiers and police officers. Alcatraz was opened for only 29 years and during the 29 years it was open there were 36 attempted escapes. Alcatraz was the most impenetrable prison in america at the time.
Alcatraz had set ground rules for the prisoners and if they were to break them there were going to be consequences to follow their actions. The prisoners were permitted to play softball , bandball,volleyball, and bridge. The prisoners were once able to play horseshoes but prisoners would take the horseshoes and beat each other with them. Alcatraz was known to have a lot of notorious prisoners that were imprisoned there. Al capone was the most notorious prisoner there but was set free after countless court hearings.
There were a total of 36 escape attempts during Alcatraz's 29 years of being open as a prison. James Lucas and Rufus Franklin were the first to have a violent escape attempt as they killed a guard with a hammer. They both were caught and given life sentences for killing a guard in their escape attempt. There was many more escapes but the one before the most

Get Access