Alcatraz Island
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Alcatraz Island, commonly known as “The Rock,” was a place where the worst of the worst felons would be transferred to from other federal prison institutes who could not contain the prisoners. The island underwent several changes concerning its ownership; it served as a U.S. military fort, a Federal Penitentiary, which closed down after twenty-nine years, and was later inhabited by the Native Americans. Alcatraz is currently a National Park open to tourists for tours.
The Mexican Governor, Pio Pico, was interested in building a lighthouse on Alcatraz. However, John C. Fremont, the leader of the Bear Flag Revolt, purchased the island as U.S. property (h2g2.com). The United States declared California as a state, which included the ownership of Alcatraz. With numerous amounts of people coming to Northern California to find gold and make a better life for themselves, the United States deemed it necessary to build a fortress to protect and bring order to the San Francisco Bay area, as well as its surrounding cities from enemy invasions and unruly people. The U.S. Army decided to build a “three-point defensive strategy” to protect the entrance to the San Francisco Bay (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy). Fort Point, Lime Point, and Alcatraz served as the three points bordering the area of what it now the Golden Gate Bridge. Over one-hundred cannons were installed at Alcatraz alone (bop.gov). Fort Alcatraz became the largest American fort and the most “heavily fortified military site in the western United States.” During the Gold Rush, traffic in the bay resulted in many shipwrecks, which made the government aware that lighthouse was necessary (alcatrazcruises.com). The completion of the Alcatraz Lighthouse was in 1853 and became the first functioning lighthouse on the West coast (bop.gov).
Eleven military prisoners were the first people sent to Alcatraz. During the Civil War in the early 1860s, San Francisco and its Bay were threatened by Confederate soldiers and raids (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy). Several hundred soldiers were stationed on the island, as well as the latest weapons of the time. Convicted soldiers accused of various crimes and a group of Confederate soldiers spent time on the island. Not only were soldiers housed on Alcatraz, U.S. citizens accused of treason, as well as some Indians of various tribes were also sent to Alcatraz during the American-Indian War (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy). Alcatraz as a fortress became obsolete when its weapons were replaced by modern technology. The United States Military declared that the Alcatraz would better serve as a military prison rather than being used for a defensive strategy.
As the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 struck, those in the barracks at Alcatraz evacuated to the Alcatraz dock. Surprisingly, no buildings were severely damaged. However, San Francisco buildings, including various jails and prisons, were moderately destroyed. Inmates from prisons in and around the city were transferred to Alcatraz cellhouses until their initial prisons were restored. The island was officially no longer considered a fortification in 1907. The fortress was torn down and convicts on Alcatraz were ordered to assist in the construction of a cellhouse along with surrounding buildings on the island. Work began in 1908 and was completed in 1912 (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy). The three-story cellhouse was made of reinforced concrete (Stuller 6). The cellhouse contained around six hundred cells in four cell blocks, complete with a kitchen and hospital. Engineers also implemented a power plant so that electricity could be accessed on the island (nps.gov).
Alcatraz was renamed as “United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch” in 1915 (alcatrazcruises.com). “The prisoners attended military training, remedial education, and vocational training” to stay up to par with the militarys image of discipline. Work assignments and punishment was based off the individuals responsibility and the seriousness of their offenses (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy). Although a majority of the prisoners were again enlisted, others were permanently discharged. Because security was lacking, several prisoners used it to their advantage by attempting to escape. Their tactics included trying to swim to the city, clutching on to an object in the water, or disguising themselves in order to catch a ride on boats that were returning to the mainland (sgha.net). However, their plans failed. Some drowned in the frigid waters, were brought back to Alcatraz by the current, and others were caught and returned to prison (nps.gov).
Complaints were made that Alcatraz would ruin the natural beauty of the San Francisco Bay if a prison was built in the center of the bay. The Army agreed to bring soil over from Angel Island to preserve the beauty of the bay and island (accidentalcruiser.com). Prisoners were also put to work in the preparation of the project. Some were trained and given the job of gardening; they planted various flowers and shrubs to make the island more pleasing to the eye (alcatrazhistory.com). Gardening was enjoyed by a majority of prisoners and those residing on the island. It gave people an opportunity to find recreation in their spare time in order to keep their sanity. During the 1920s, the prison was in need of more recreation. Prisoners were given the approval to construct a baseball field on the islands premises. Surprisingly, boxing matches occurred between inmates and became a popular past-time while serving time there (alcatrazhistory.com).
The 1920s and 1930s proved to be an era of increasing numbers in crimes, which was aided by the Great Depression. Water and supplies needed to be shipped to Alcatraz; costs were very high to maintain the area, especially around the time of the Great Depression (nps.gov). American citizens were fearful of the crimes and violence in the cities and the ignorance of the authorities. Alcatraz offered a solution. It could serve as a place to punish prisoners, to warn the public that the government is making a change, and to inform the public of the miserable conditions of being stranded on a distant island while living a hard life in prison (alcatrazhistory.com). The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons were given the ownership of the island in 1933 (accidentalcruiser.com). The U.S. Penitentiary: Alcatraz was born (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy). Alcatraz would house the worst felons in Federal prisons (bop.gov). Prisoners were only transferred to Alcatraz if they broke the rules at their former prison (Stuller 12).
A maximum security with a guard-to-inmate ratio of one-to-three, along with appropriately