Alcatraz: The Most Famous Prisons Of The American Prison

The Rock It was one of the toughest prisons of it time. There was nothing to do but stare at walls. It was mind dwindling. Nicknamed “The Rock,” Alcatraz was a place prisoners didn’t want to go. From the discovery of the island to the closing of the prison, Alcatraz has had a lot of action over the years. With a great warden that kept the place in check, “The Rock” stayed under control, even though Alcatraz held some of the worst criminals of its time. Has anyone escaped? Well, there were those three guys that went missing, but keep reading to find out about that. Alcatraz is one of the most famous prisons and can be visited by the public today.

Alcatraz has a history that includes the military, a National Park, and a famous prison. Juan

James A. Johnson was strict and would give no exception to the rules when he became the warden of Alcatraz. “Golden Rule Warden” was his nickname; he believed in giving prisoners a job, where they could be rewarded if they were good. Johnson created many new programs for the prisoners, like including educational programs (“Alcatraz History”). There were also very harsh punishments for defying the rules to defy the rules. For example, there would be intense labor, or they might get a 12 pound ball and chain tied to their ankle, or maybe even get restricted bread and water (Mahaney). Alcatraz was one of the harshest prisons and had only the toughest criminals.“Prisoners would have to earn their transfer to Alcatraz from other prisons, no one would be directly sentenced to Alcatraz from the courts” (“Alcatraz History”). With Johnson in charge several rules were set

In with the 1st group of prisoners to arrive on the island was Al Capone, nicknamed Scarface. He was never in prison long, and he always got special treatment from the wardens and guards. On his arrival he tried to show everyone who was boss like he did at previous prisons. He even tried to get Warden Johnson to give him special treatment, but that didn’t exactly happen. Capone was in for killing a dozen people and having illegal gambling clubs. He was there for 4 ½ years until he got Syphilis and transferred out in 1938. Al Capone had a tough time at Alcatraz without special treatment; he got into a fight and put into isolation for eight days. While waiting for a haircut, a guy stabbed him with a pair of scissors, and, of course, he also got Syphilis. Capone even told the warden “Looks like Alcatraz has got me licked” (“Alcatraz History”). George Kelly, nicknamed Machine Gun Kelly after his favorite gun, arrived in 1934 the same time as Al Capone. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for armed robberies, and it turned out he was the model prisoner at Alcatraz. He worked in the industries and transferred out in 1951 (“Alcatraz History”). Alcatraz’s most famous prisoner was Robert Stroud, nicknamed Bird Man. He liked birds, he even speared Sparrows and Canaries to leave his mark (“Alcatraz Prison Closes”). He spent 17 years in Alcatraz after getting convicted of