Introduction
Alcatraz Island is located near the coast of San Francisco, California, USA. The Island had prison facilities that were used as a military prison in 1868, and then as a federal prison from 1933 to 1963.
Alcatraz’s fortified built, the maximum security placed on guarding it, and the fact that it was surrounded by water, made it the highest-security prison. In other words, it was almost impossible to escape. Throughout time, 36 people tried to escape Alcatraz in 14 different attempts. 23 were recaptured, 6 were killed, and 2 drowned and 5 have been reported missing and assumed to have drowned after their escape; including the famous trio: Clarence Anglin, John Anglin and Frank Morris. The man behind their escape plan, Allen West, never made it out of his cell in time to join his companions.
The Great Escape
Before the three men escaped the prison, they did some thorough thinking. The night of the escape, June 12 of 1962, the men placed heads
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Although authorities presumed that the men drowned during the escape, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The two convicts, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin, are thought to still be alive. Recently in October of 2015, a photo came into the view of authorities of what looks like Clarence and his brother in Brazil on a farm together in the mid-1970s. Their sister also believes that her brothers attended her mother’s funeral disguised as women, and that they sent their mum anonymous mother’s day cards every year after the escape. As for Frank Morris, there were no reports of sighting him after the escape. Some assume he didn’t make it, while others assumed he went undercover. Conclusion
In conclusion, maybe Alcatraz couldn’t live up to the term “escape-proof”. There were many times were its concrete walls, security guards, and very strategic location defeated men trying to escape. But on the night of June 12 of 1962, 3 criminals got themselves on the FBI’s most wanted list by escaping The
Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested on May 5, 1920, when they went with two other men, Orciani and Boda, to pick up Boda's car from a garage. The car was not ready, so they left the garage and hopped a street car. The police stopped the street car and arrested them. Orciani was arrested the next day, but let go when his alibi checked out. Sacco was only charged with the Braintree murders. Vanzetti, however, was charged with both the Braintree murders, and another robbery, the Bridgewater crime.
Inmate number three was Edward Middlehurst who was sentenced to five years for grand larceny but was actually released. He was the first carpenter at the penitentiary but after a year got sick and was moved to another cell. He is not on record on the roster after he was sick for three months, so whatever he had must have been contagious. He may have received a pardon which was a common way to deal with sick convicts.
was also charged as an accomplice. The three were sent to trial and one was executed, Hayes,
Pelican Bay Prison was designed, constructed and finally opened in Northern California in December 1989 at a cost of 217.5 million dollars. It was designed to accommodate 3384 prisoners, of which 2280 may be assigned to solitary confinement and another 1056 to the Secure Housing Unit or “SHU.” These housing numbers however are typically greater and often exceed the designed accommodation by more than 1000. Pelican Bay takes pride in the fact that it was designed to be the most secure, isolated, and intimidating prison in the country. This takes an average of 938 sworn personnel and 460 support staff to accomplish. It was designed to house the most violent convicts and attempts to isolate known gang members from other prisoners and the outside world for 22 + hours a day. Those in the SHU are often the gang leaders and are under constant surveillance by prison staff. The big factors in determining who is placed in the SHU are a history of violence and an affiliation with one of any numerous known gangs.
When envisioning a prison, one often conceptualizes a grisly scene of hardened rapists and murderers wandering aimlessly down the darkened halls of Alcatraz, as opposed to a pleasant facility catering to the needs of troubled souls. Prisons have long been a source of punishment for inmates in America and the debate continues as to whether or not an overhaul of the US prison system should occur. Such an overhaul would readjust the focuses of prison to rehabilitation and incarceration of inmates instead of the current focuses of punishment and incarceration. Altering the goal of the entire state and federal prison system for the purpose of rehabilitation is an unrealistic objective, however. Rehabilitation should not be the main purpose of prison because there are outlying factors that negatively affect the success of rehabilitation programs and such programs would be too costly for prisons currently struggling to accommodate additional inmate needs.
Santos, Michael G. Inside: Life Behind Bars in America. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2006. Print.
...e placed over the heads of the condemned and they were hanged. Joining their other deserters. The thirteen remaining condemned men had four days to sit in the jail's dungeon to think about their deaths that would take place on Monday, February 15th. Chaplain Paris described the scene in a letter that appeared shortly afterward in the North Carolina Presbyterian and the Wilmington Journal:
After centuries of the United States Government ignoring and mistreating the Indigenous people of this land, the Alcatraz occupation in 1969 led by righteous college students, became the longest Indian occupation of federal ground in the history of the United States and a landmark for Indian self-determination. The documentary, Alcatraz is Not an Island, describes the occupation that made Alcatraz a symbol for Indigenous people as motivation to stand up against the cruelty that they have experienced since the arrival of the Europeans. Hence the name of the film, Alcatraz can be seen as an inspiration for Indigenous people rather than an island.
The description of Alcatraz is sinister and quite mysterious. Many people describe it as a haunted attraction,
Al Capone once said about Alcatraz " Don't mistake my kindness for weakness, I am kind to everyone, but when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember me about." One of the most dreaded prisons in America was Alcatraz, it was built on an island in the San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz was made for the United States most dangerous and difficult people during its years of being operated. Even though Alcatraz was built as a top end prison it was possible to escape, however it seemed prisoners never made it off the island alive.
Santa Catalina Island, often known as Catalina Island, is located off the coast of Southern California, southwest of Los Angeles. Catalina Island forms part of the Channel Islands archipelago. Catalina is the only island, out of eight, that has been significantly developed. There are two major settlement location within the island - the city of Avalon and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors (“Visit Catalina Island,” 2014). Beyond the town boundaries the island is covered by wild life that it is owned and operated by the Catalina Island Conservancy ("The Official Catalina Island Website,” 2013).
...nd was sent to Alcatraz when he was thirty-two years old. He arrived in August 1934. His prison number was eighty five while he was in prison, his brain started to deteriorate because he contracted syphilis from all the women he’s been with. His condition eventually got worse, so he had to be moved to a hospital. On January 25, 1947 Capone died from a heart attack at the age of 48.
Alcatraz Island has quite a distinct history. Many people know that Alcatraz served as a federal prison, but most are reluctant to know that this island served as fort. Built before the Civil War, it served two main purposes. First, that it was to guard the San Francisco bay area from enemy ships against a foreign invasion, and second, to hold hostage prisoners of war or POW's as they were called. In this report, I'll show you how this fortress came to be a federal prison, why it is no longer in operation today, and most importantly, to show why it was built in the first place. When the great "Gold Rush" of 1849 first started, California grew from what would be considered a small, unpopulated state, into what it is now. California is now one of the most populated states and it was mostly the gold rush that brought attention to California. As the government saw all of this happening, they realized that California was much more important than they ever realized. In their realization, they decided that California must be protected. San Francisco has one of the largest bays in all of California, and so this was where enemy countries would most likely to try to invade the country. So this is where Alcatraz was to lie, to serve as a military fort. It was supposed to serve as a secondary base in companionship to another base located on the other side of Golden Gate Bridge. But with severe problems trying to build this other base, Alcatraz was to remain alone. "Out in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the island of Alcatraz is definitely a world unto itself. Isolation is just one of the many constants of island life for any inhabitant on Alcatraz Island. It is the most reoccurring theme in the unfolding history of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Island is one of Golden Gate National Recreation Area's most popular destinations, offering a close-up look at a historic and infamous federal prison long off-limits to the public. Visitors to the island can not only explore the remnants of the prison, but learn of the American occupation of 1969 - 1971, early military fortifications and the West Coast's first and oldest operating lighthouse. These structures stand among the island's many natural features - gardens, tidepools, bird nests, and bay views beyond compare." (1) Fortress Alcatraz ran in operation from 1850 - 1933. It served as San Fr...
... This is likely to indicate a pattern of poor security practices within private prisons. Escape from prison is often a rare occurrence. In 1999, BOP had one escape from their facility while private prisons accounted for 23 escapes. When an escape does occur, it is likely to indicate loopholes in security practices.
The correctional system is based on helping offenders become part of society and not commit any crimes. Many prisons begin the correcting criminals since they are inside the jails, but many prisons do not. Prisons provide prisoners with jobs inside the prison where they get very little pay close to nothing and many have programs that will help them advance their education or get their high school diploma. There are various programs prisons provide to prisoners to help them get a job or have a skill when they are released from prison. In contrast, prisons that do not provide programs or help to prisoners rehabilitate and enter society again will be more likely to commit another crime and go back to jail. The Shawshank Redemption prison did not