The location in the middle of a bay with icy water and strong sea currents provides natural isolation for the island. Because of this, Alcatraz was considered by the U.S. Army as an ideal place for holding prisoners of war. In 1861, the first prisoners of the Civil War from various states began arriving on the island, and in 1898, as a result of the Spanish-American War, the number of prisoners increased from 26 to more than 450. In 1906, after the earthquake in San Francisco that destroyed much of the city, hundreds of civilian prisoners were moved to the island for safety reasons. In 1912, a large prison building was constructed, and by 1920 the three-story structure was almost completely filled with inmates. Alcatraz was the first long-term military prison and began to earn a reputation as a place known for strictness toward offenders, who faced harsh disciplinary measures. Punishments could include assignment to hard labor, solitary confinement with a limited diet of bread and water, and the list did not end there. The average age of military prisoners was 24, and most served short sentences for desertion or less serious offenses. There were also those serving long terms for insubordination to commanders, physical violence, theft, or murder.

An interesting element of military order was the prohibition of staying in cells during the daytime, except in special cases of forced confinement. High-ranking military prisoners could move freely around the prison grounds, except for the guard quarters located on the upper level. Despite the harsh disciplinary measures applied to offenders, the prison regime was not strict. Many prisoners performed household chores for the families living on the island, and some were occasionally trusted to look after children. Some exploited vulnerabilities in the prison’s security organization to escape. Despite all efforts, most escapees failed to reach the shore and had to return to be rescued from the icy water. Those who did not return died from hypothermia.

Over the decades, prison rules became even more lenient. In the late 1920s, prisoners were allowed to build a baseball field and even wear their own baseball uniforms. The army command organized boxing competitions among prisoners, held on Friday evenings. The matches were very popular, and civilians from San Francisco often came to Alcatraz just to watch them.

Due to the high costs of maintenance related to its location, in 1934 the Department of Defense decided to stop using Alcatraz as a military prison, and its building was transferred to the Department of Justice.

During the Great Depression (late 1920s – mid-1930s), crime rates rose sharply and the era of organized crime began. Large mafia families and individual gangs waged war for spheres of influence, often victimizing peaceful citizens and law enforcement officers. Gangsters controlled power in cities, many officials took bribes and turned a blind eye to the crimes being committed.

In response to gangster crimes, the government decided to reopen Alcatraz, but now as a federal prison. Alcatraz met the main pursued goals: to house dangerous criminals far from society and to scare criminals still at large. The head of Federal Prisons Sanford Bates and Attorney General Homer Cummings initiated a prison reconstruction project. Robert Burge, then one of the best security experts, was invited to redesign the prison. During reconstruction, only the foundation remained untouched; the building was completely rebuilt.

In April 1934, the military prison received a new face and new direction. Before reconstruction, the bars and grilles were wooden—they were replaced with steel. Electricity was installed in every cell, and all service tunnels were sealed to prevent prisoners from entering them for hiding and further escape. Along the perimeter of the prison building above the cells, special gun galleries were installed, allowing guards to stand watch while protected by steel bars.

The prison dining hall, as the most vulnerable place for fights and brawls, was equipped with tear gas canisters located in the ceiling and controlled remotely. Guard towers were placed around the island’s perimeter in the most strategically suitable locations. Doors were equipped with electric sensors. The prison building contained a total of 600 cells and was divided into blocks A, B, C, and D, whereas before reconstruction the prison population never exceeded 300 inmates. Block D was considered the harshest block, housing the most dangerous criminals. The introduction of new security measures, together with the cold waters of San Francisco Bay, created a reliable barrier even for the most desperate escapees.

The new prison needed a new warden. The Federal Bureau of Prisons chose James A. Johnston for this position. Johnston was selected for his strict principles and humane approach to rehabilitating criminals for reintegration into society. He was also known for reforms benefiting prisoners.

Johnston did not believe in shackled convicts. He believed prisoners should be engaged in work where they would be respected and rewarded for their efforts. Nicknamed the “Golden Rule Warden,” the press praised Johnston for improvements made on California highways in his road camps. Prisoners working there were not paid money but had their sentences reduced for diligent work.

Before Alcatraz, Johnston was the director at San Quentin Prison, where he introduced several successful educational programs that positively affected most inmates. At the same time, Johnston was a proponent of strict discipline. His rules were the toughest in the correctional system, and punishments the harshest. Johnston often attended executions at San Quentin and knew how to deal with the most incorrigible criminals.

Courts did not sentence prisoners to Alcatraz; inmates were usually transferred there from other prisons for being particularly “notorious.” It was not possible to voluntarily choose Alcatraz for serving a sentence. Although exceptions were made for some gangsters, including Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly (then “Public Enemy No. 1”), and others.

The rules at Alcatraz changed drastically. Now each prisoner had only their own cell and minimal privileges for receiving food, water, clothing, medical, and dental care. Prisoners at Alcatraz were forbidden to have any personal belongings. Privileges for visiting with guests, visiting the prison library, and the ability to write letters had to be earned through work and impeccable behavior. At the same time, prisoners with bad behavior were not allowed to participate in prison work. All privileges were revoked for the slightest offense. All media were banned in Alcatraz, including newspapers. All letters, as in any other prison, were censored by a prison official. Federal prison wardens had the right to transfer any misbehaving prisoner to Alcatraz. Despite popular belief, Alcatraz housed not only gangsters and especially dangerous criminals. It was filled with escapees and rebels from other prisons and those who systematically violated prison rules. Among Alcatraz inmates were gangsters, but most of them were sentenced to death.

Prison life began with wake-up at 6:30 a.m., prisoners were given 25 minutes to clean their cells, after which each prisoner had to approach the cell bars for roll call. If everyone was present by 6:55, individual rows of cells were opened one by one, and prisoners moved to the dining hall. They were allotted 20 minutes to eat, then lined up for the distribution of prison work. The monotonous cycle of prison routine was relentless and unchanged for many years. Prisoners called the main corridor of the prison building “Broadway,” and the cells located on the second tier along this passage were the most desirable in the prison. Other cells were located below, were cold, and staff and prisoners often passed by them.

In the early years of Alcatraz’s operation, Johnston supported the “silence policy”—prisoners were forced to refrain from making any sounds for long periods, which many prisoners considered the most unbearable punishment. There were many complaints demanding the abolition of the silence policy. Rumors circulated that several prisoners went insane because of this rule. Later, the silence policy was abolished, and this was one of the few rule changes at Alcatraz.

The eastern wing housed solitary confinement cells. They did not even have a proper toilet: just a hole with a flush controlled by a guard. Prisoners were placed in solitary without outerwear and on a meager ration. The cell door had a narrow closing slot for passing food, which was always closed, leaving the prisoner in complete darkness. Usually, solitary confinement lasted 1–2 days. The cell was cold, and a mattress was provided only at night. This was considered the harshest punishment for serious violations and bad behavior, and all prisoners feared it.

On March 21, 1963, the prison on Alcatraz was closed. According to the official version, this was due to the excessive costs of maintaining prisoners on the island. The prison required repairs estimated at about 3–5 million dollars. In addition, maintaining prisoners on the island was more expensive than on the mainland prison because everything had to be regularly brought from the mainland.

After closure, many options for the island’s future use were discussed, for example, proposals to place a UN monument there. In 1969, a group of Native Americans from various tribes relocated to the island, effectively occupying it. This was made possible by the 1934 federal law on free relocation of Native Americans. During their stay on the island, the Native Americans lit large fires in buildings and painted the walls. Because of the fires, the guard’s recreation house, a quarter of the Coast Guard barracks, and the warden’s house were severely damaged, as were many apartments in the island’s residential buildings. However, the Native Americans did not stay long on the island, and in June 1971, by decision of the U.S. government, they were expelled from Alcatraz. The inscriptions on the walls can still be seen today. In 1971, the island was made part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz