Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island

Student: Baceanu florian

LOCATION

Alcatraz Islandis located in theSan Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4km) offshore fromSan Francisco,California,United States. Often referred to as "The Rock", the small island was developed with facilities for alighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and afederal prisonfrom 1933 until 1963.Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

The United States Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz was acquired by theUnited States Department of Justiceon October 12, 1933, and the island became aFederal Bureau of Prisonsfederal prison in August 1934. Alcatraz was designed to hold prisoners who continuously caused trouble at other federal prisons.At 9:40 am in the morning of August 11, 1934, the first batch of 137 prisoners arrived at Alcatraz.

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 alive, six were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and five are listed as "missing and presumed drowned".The most violent occurred on May 2, 1946, when a failed escape attempt by six prisoners led to theBattle of Alcatraz. On June 11, 1962,Frank Morris,John Anglin, andClarence Anglincarried outone of the most intricate escapes ever devised.The most notorious criminal inAlcatrazAt Alcatraz, Capone's decline became increasingly evident asneurosyphilisprogressively eroded his mental faculties.He spent the last year of his sentence in the prison hospital, confused and disoriented.Capone completed his term in Alcatraz on January 6, 1939, and was transferred to theFederal Correctional Institution at Terminal Islandin California, to serve out his sentence for contempt of court.He was paroled on November 16, 1939.

Post-prison years

Because the penitentiary cost much more to operate than other prisons (nearly $10 per prisoner per day, as opposed to $3 per prisoner per day at Atlanta),and half a century of saltwater saturationhad severely eroded the buildings, thenAttorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedyordered the penitentiary closed on March 21, 1963. In addition, citizens were increasingly protesting the environmental effects of sewage released into San Francisco Bay from the approximately 250 inmates and 60 Bureau of Prisons families on the island. That year, theUnited States PenitentiaryinMarion, Illinois, on land, opened as the replacement facility for Alcatraz.

Landmarks

The entire Alcatraz Island was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1976,and was further declared aNational Historic LandmarkIn 1993, the National Park Service published a plan entitledAlcatraz Development Concept and Environmental Assessment.This plan, doubled the amount of Alcatraz accessible to the public to enable visitors to enjoy its scenery and bird, marine, and animal life.