The Alacatraz that is most famous for being the penitentiary that locked away the likes of dangerous gangsters like Capone, didn’t start out in the federal prison system. Its history started in 1775 when the Spanish Explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala found the island and christened it “Isle de los Alcatraces.” The island wasn’t put into use until 1848 when the news of a gold rush in California hit. The common public was afraid of an attack upo

The ordinary cells that inmates were usually placed in during lockdown were

Morris and the Anglins had a perplex plan which involved chipping away the ventilation shaft with tools stolen from various spots of the prison; they would do this at night when everyone was asleep. They also gathered materials to make paper-mache covers that would hide the holes in the ventilation shafts. Once they had broken through the shafts, the men set up a make-shift workshop above their cells, which allowed them to make their 6 x 14 foot escape raft out of stolen raincoats and glue. Another part of their ingenious plan were the dummy heads, they created which were also made from paper mache. Real human hair from the barber shop was even placed on top of the dummies to make them appear more realistic. The dummy heads were made so they could fool the guards taking the head count late at night. Finally, when 9:30 p.m. hit that night of June 11, 1964 and the lights went out, it was time for Morris and the Anglin brothers to put their plan into action. Each of them placed the dummy in the bed and slid out through the ventilation shaft. Once they were out, they replaced the cover. From there they were in the utility corridor which meant they had to scale a section of wooden scaffolding and some pipes to reach the roof. After they were on top of the roof, they had to slide down a section of drainpipe. This put them on the outside ground, leaving them to scale the barbed wire fence. Once they were over the fence, they were home free!! All they had left was to set off for the shore in their homemade raft. From there no one knows if they made it. Most men who made it this far had drowned, but that was only because they tried to swim the mile to shore. Several weeks later, one body was found washed up on shore; it could not be identified. Today, the Anglins and Morris are listed as missing and presumed dead.

Even with Alcatraz being as successful as it was, the government still let it close in 1963. Several reasons led to this. One was that our government decided that it wasn’t wise to keep all of our countries dangerous criminals locked up in the same penitentiary. The number of criminals locked up in Alcatraz was also relatively low with only 260 occupying it at that time. The main reason was because of the cost it took to operate it. The cost it took to take care of each prisoner every day was much higher than in recent years. All this led to the collapse of Alcatraz. Today Alcatraz island still exists, and over one million tourists visit it yearly.

6x9x7 feet. Each cell room was plain and empty, for inmates were only allowed a few objects. The bed frames were made from steel, while the mattress was made up of straw. Right next to the beds, was a little folding metal table that would collapse against the wall while it wasn’t in use. The bathroom facilities were also situated in the cell near the corner. Each single room had a toilet and a sink. Although the inmates had these utilities, they couldn’t enjoy these luxuries because the toilets were without seats and the sinks only contained a cold-water nozzle. A single shelf extended the width of the cell wall, this allowed prisoners to place their belongings on it so their cell floors could be kept clean. The cells were lighted by single overhead lights outside of the cell which were mainly for the guards to make their count at night.

The main privilege most prisoners took advantage of was a work assignment. A work assignment allowed one to get out of his cell for several hours a day. Not just any inmate could pick up a work assignment at the penitentiary. To obtain this specific privilege, he had to apply for it just like a real job. This usually started out by writing a letter to the warden asking for an assignment. When approved by the warden, the inmate was assigned a job. If this was the inmate’s first time for a work assignment, he didn’t

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