In the icy cold waters of San Francisco Bay their floats the notorious Island of Alcatraz. It is no more part of pop culture for being just an island than it is for having a prison on it. No. Alcatraz was so notorious because it had some of the world’s most dangerous and violent criminals inside the walls of the prison. The prison had incredible security and was renowned for being inescapable, except when it was broken out of. In 1962 four men devised and perpetrated a brilliant almost fantastical escape, the only traces of their making it out are the mysterious gifts received by the families, personal belongs left on the shore, and that their bodies that were never found.
The masterminds behind one of the most notorious prison escapes are brothers John and Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris. Those are the three that made the escape. There was also a fourth man who contributed to the planning but ran into problems and never made it out. The most crucial part to their escape was the preparation. According to (nbcnews.com) the four men spent six months digging around the air vents in their cells. They used stolen spoons too chip through the walls, and after months of mindless chipping away they broke through the half foot walls of masonry to fall into a small non traffic room. Once the wall was penetrated they would climb through an air vent to the roof. This is where the fourth man ran into problems. According
Bethune 2 to (historicmysteries) the fourth men’s air vent access was blocked and he had to abort. So to save himself from worst punishment he opened up about the escape. This is how law enforcement learned how the escape was planned out and executed.
After six long months June 11 was the night. They had to wait fo...
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...nvinced they are dead. The evidence that they did survive is just greater than the evidence that they did not survive. So the mystery still remains. The June 11, 1962 Alcatraz escape will go down in history as one of the most notorious unsolved prison escapes ever to hit the books.
Works Cited
Leff, Lisa. "Escape from Alcatraz: 50 Years Later, Mystery Remains." Msnbc.com. Nbc.com, Nov.-Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. .
Macgowon, Doug. "The 1962 Alcatraz Escape." Historic Mysteries. Alcatrazhistory, 7 June 11. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. .
Nolte, Carl. "Alcatraz Escapees' Family Convinced Brothers Alive." SFGate. SFgate.com, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. .
Ted Conover, an investigative journalist decided to investigate the conditions within Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Taking his investigation to a new level, Conover applied to work as a corrections officer. This decision came after being repeatedly denied the opportunity to chronicle the life of a corrections officer in training by the New York State Department of Corrections. He used this experience to author his book Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing and give a first-hand account of life as a corrections officer. Conover goes on to describe the life of a corrections officer going through his first year of training and adjusting to the conditions within the prison. He further describes the interaction between corrections officer and inmate and how these interactions affected his own life.
legal action was their only recourse left. They filed lawsuits and soon Corcoran State Prison was in the public spot light. The F.B.I. would soon become involved a...
The Yuma Territorial Prison is one of the main pillars in the growth of Arizona as the wild west was tamed. Its existence served not only as a beacon of civilization but that of consequence for those who resisted human expansion’s natural progression. As it existed many thought of it as a joke giving those inside the easy life or the likes of a concentration camp but in the middle of civilian held war, the prison stood toward the future. From near modern advances to holding those refusing to be held and even continueing on helping those of Yuma for years to come. This paper will use sources explaining the history of the prison and be about the experience, conditions, and personality of many of the prisoners along with major events in the prisoners lives explaining how the prison evolved during and after their stay.
military aggression and unjust U.S. government policies, the Native American occupations of Alcatraz Island set out to rein in nationwide attention to the unjust conditions inflicted on Native Americans in the past that continued to the present. The first occupation of Alcatraz Island occurred in 1963. Prior to the occupations, the U.S. had transitioned into Termination policy, seeking to resolve reservation poverty by relocating Native Americans from Indian reservations to cities. By the 1960s, over 60% of the 40,000 Native Americans in San Francisco were settled there as a result of federal work programs; while in cities, Native Americans continued to face poverty as they became exposed to the declining job market and lack of housing ("Native American Civil Rights”). In response to the Termination policy and overall poor living conditions on reservation land, six Lakota mean sought out to occupy the former San Francisco Bay prison. The group cited the Sioux Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, stating that "an abandoned federal facility must revert back to Indian ownership” ("Occupation of Alcatraz"). However, overall, the occupation received little attention from the media and federal government with both groups refusing to view the event as a sign of a serious issue brewing in America ("Occupation of Alcatraz"). While the occupation failed to produce immediate action, the event would prove not to be completely unsuccessful as it would set the foundation for the second and third occupations of Alcatraz Island in
Prisoners were put under a monotonous and strict routine designed to keep them from rebelling. They were given the basic human needs: clothing, food, shelter, and medical care. Any other privileges had to be earned. One of the inmates’ biggest complaints was that it was always cold on the island. Another complaint was the rule of silence which banned conversation between inmates except for during recreation time and meals. This rule was eventually discontinued. Prisoners who acted out at Alcatraz were put in either the strip cell or the hole. Both were cells in complete isolation from other inmates but in the strip cell inmates were placed in the lightless cell naked and the only ‘toilet’ was a hole in the ground.
Santos, Michael G. Inside: Life Behind Bars in America. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2006. Print.
...hole”. Other than the harsh conditions warden had on us a times life wasn’t bad at Alcatraz. Kelly’s cellmate said he would get depressed when he got mail from his family and that he regretted all the crimes he committed to get himself locked up here. I didn’t believe him till I got a job in the mail room. I constantly saw letters from Kelly sent to Urschel begging him to plead his case, I never saw a reply to Kelly’s letters.
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 1970s in the United States was a time of incredible change, doubt, as well as reform. The many issues happening throughout the country helped to lead to the discomfort in many prisoners that eventually lead to their e...
Have you ever wondered what’s the toughest jail in the United States is? Have you ever wondered if anybody has ever escaped it? Have you ever wondered how someone could escape it? Frank Morris was in the toughest jail in the U.S, and he has escaped it. The mystery of Frank Morris can be explored through his childhood, how he broke out, and theories on if he is still alive.Frank Morris had a sad childhood, as he was orphaned and was in and out of jail from a young age. Frank Morris’s mother died when he was very young. “From his infant years until his teens Morris was shuffled from one foster home to another.”(The Great Escape from Alcatraz - Page 1 ,2) . Frank committed his first crime at the age of 13. Frank got in a lot of trouble when he was in his childhood from in and out of jails from the age of 13 for robbery and offences.Frank Morris was a young guy who was by himself and that's what started him getting into jails and that eventually let to being incarcerated at Alcatraz. Frank Morris had a very high I.Q and found a plan to escape alcatraz.“The plan was extremely complex and involved the design and fabrication of ingenious lifelike dummies, water rafts, and life preservers, fashioned from over fifty rain coats that had been acquired from other inmates - some donated and some stolen. They would also require a variety of crudely made tools to dig with, and to construct the accessories necessary for the escape.”(The great escape from Alcatraz- page 1, 6). In May of 1962 they had dug through the 6 by 9 cell holes and were ready to take off. The Anglin Brothers had a cell right next to each other. Frank Morris was working with the Anglin brothers ( John and Clarence) were working with them along with Allen West.While the plan was in the process
In San Francisco, California is where the notorious Alcatraz prison is located. A total number of 14 escape attempts which included 36 men. Twenty-three were caught,seven were killed,and one person drowned. But, you can’t forget about the inmates Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers’ . Some people believe that these inmates died trying to escape.Others believe that the Alcatraz escapees are still alive to this day. On June 11,1962 the brothers were never seen or heard from again,or at least that’s what people say. Even though there was a high likelihood that their boat could have been swept out to sea by the strong current, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers could have pushed their way through the current and survived.
Alcatraz is an island located in San Francisco California. Its 1.25 miles offshore from the San Francisco bay.There is a prison located on Alcatraz island. The prison was opened August 11, 1934 and closed March 21, 1963. It was home 1,576 of the most horrific prisoners. Alcatraz island is twenty two acres all together. Alcatraz island was discovered in 1775 by a Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala. Juan Manuel de Ayala named the island “La Isla de los Alcatraces,” which translates to “The Island of the Pelicans”. In this satirical essay I believe the Native of Americans can take over Alcatraz.
Wilson, Rick. "The Growing Problems of the Prison System." American Friends Service Committee. American Friends Service Committee, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. .
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...
The mass media uses prison life as the source for movies and television shows. Over the years there have been many movies written about prison but the most prominent in my mind is Frank Darabont’s, The Shawshank Redemption. Throughout the film there are many examples of the falsities of prison life. There are some elements of truth but they are out weighed by the misconceptions. Numerous prisoners are allowed to walk around the prison and the prison yard with no guards in sight. In actuality there are always guards around, especially on the inside. The prisoner’s movement through the prison is highly restricted.