Inmate Daily Routine
6:30 a.m- morning whistle
6:50 a.m- morning count
6:55 a.m- breakfast
7:20 a.m- time for work: prisoners not assigned work return to their cells
-laundry
-tailor’s shop
-cobbler’s shop
-gardening
7:25 a.m- after breakfast count
9:30 a.m- rest period: men are allowed to smoke, but not be around each other
9:38 a.m- work again and mid-morning count
11:30 a.m- lunch
12:00 p.m- lunch over and prisoners return to their cells; noon-time count
12:30 p.m- back to work
2:30 p.m- rest period
2:38 p.m- back to work
4:20 p.m- dinner, dinner count
4:45 p.m- return to cells- final lockup
8:00 p.m- count in the cells
9:30 p.m- lights out count
3:00 a.m- early morning count
5:00 a.m- count in cells
6:30 a.m- morning whistle
6:50 a.m- morning count
6:55 a.m- breakfast
7:20 a.m- time for work: prisoners not assigned work return to their cells
-laundry
-tailor’s shop
-cobbler’s shop
-gardening
7:25 a.m- after breakfast count
9:30 a.m- rest period: men are allowed to smoke, but not be around each other
9:38 a.m- work again and mid-morning count
11:30 a.m- lunch
12:00 p.m- lunch over and prisoners return to their cells; noon-time count
12:30 p.m- back to work
2:30 p.m- rest period
2:38 p.m- back to work
4:20 p.m- dinner, dinner count
4:45 p.m- return to cells- final lockup
8:00 p.m- count in the cells
9:30 p.m- lights out count
3:00 a.m- early morning count
5:00 a.m- count in cells
Privileges
All prisoners were provided with food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Depending on your "Good Conduct" and you could earn privileges such as music, painting, having access to the prison library, and getting visits from family members. You could be visited by family members once a month for about two hours. Prisoners were provided with cigarettes and tobacco, but had certain times that they could smoke and were not allowed to hoard tobacco. Catholic and Protestant religious services were held on Sundays, with occasional Jewish religious services. Depending on how well they behaved, prisoners could be moved to different "less strict" prisons. Prisoners were given plenty to eat and had decent meals. Convicts were allowed to spend a maximum of five hours in the recreation yard on Saturdays and Sundays. There they could play baseball, chess, and converse with other inmates. Inmates would shower twice a week.
Rules and Regulations
Inmates wore the same uniform most of the time consisting of a blue shirt, blue and white pants, a belt and shoes. They were required to wear it a certain way; the sleeves had to be kept down and the top button had to be left undone. Prisoners were allowed to bring some personal possessions from home, as long as everything was listed on a "property card." Prisoners were not allowed to talk loudly or run in the prison. At the start of Alcatraz as a federal prison, convicts were forced to follow the "silence rule," where they were not permitted to speak at all. Many prisoners considered this their worst punishment, and the silence rule was eventually abandoned.
Treatment/Punishment
One of the most common punishments was solitary confinement, and there were two kinds; In one, nicknamed "The Hole," prisoners were locked in a dark cell where they could not move around very well. The other type was less strict, where an inmate was locked in a regular cell separated from the other prisoners. Although guards were prohibited to treat the prisoners harshly, there were times when a guard would beat an inmate. In one case, a guard turned the air conditioning on a night so the prisoners would be extremely cold. In severe cases, a prisoner could be executed in a gas chamber. There were approximately thirty deaths at the prison: eight were murdered by other inmates, five committed suicide, and about fifteen died of illness, not including at least two that were executed in a gas chamber.
Escape Attempts
There have been fourteen separate attempted escapes from Alcatraz, all of which deemed unsuccessful. Of the thirty six men that tried to escape (including two that tried to escape twice), twenty three were caught, six shot and killed, and two drowned in the icy waters of Francisco Bay surrounding The Rock. Two men who were caught were later executed in a gas chamber. Five men who were unable to be found were listed as "missing and presumably drowned." Although it's unlikely that any of them survived , some people believe that their escape, known as "The Great Escape," was successful.
The Great Escape
Frank Morris, brothers John and Clarence Anglin, and Allen West were the masterminds behind the "Great Escape from Alcatraz." Using an array of handmade items, such as wrenches, hammers, etc. they were able to escape from the prison out into the San Francisco Bay. Using paint, human hair and a homemade cement powder mixture, they created life-like human heads to conceal (for a time, at least,) that they were gone. They used raincoats to make a life raft, and broke vents in their cell block to escape. Allen West, one of the men in the plot, was left behind after not being able to break his vent. Although it is unlikely that Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers survived, some historians speculate that they escaped successfully and lived.
Famous Inmates
Robert Stroud: Known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," Stroud was sent to jail after murdering a man. He was sent to Alcatraz after stabbing a fellow inmate and killing a guard. Although he was sentenced to death, his mother saved him by pleading to the president. He was known as "The Birdman" because during his time at Leavenworth Prison he became interested in canaries. He was allowed to breed birds and he wrote two books on canaries and their diseases. He spent sixteen years in Alcatraz until he was sent to a medical center for federal prisoners where he later died of natural causes.
Al Capone: He was sent to jail after participating in one of the most famous mass murders in American history, known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre." He was sent to Alcatraz because he manipulated the guards to give him luxuries the other inmates didn't have. He spent four and a half years in Alcatraz before being moved to a different penitentiary. He worked many different jobs at Alcatraz and was once stabbed with a pair of scissors by another inmate. He was sent to the medical wing and was released a few days later.
George "Machine Gun" Kelly: "Machine Gun" is considered to be one of the most famous gangsters of his time. He and his wife, Kathryn, kidnapped a famous businessman and held him for ransom at 200,000 dollars. After splitting the money with some of their accomplices, they evaded police by moving to different states and dyeing their hair to conceal their identity. They were eventually captured and received life sentences. George stayed at Alcatraz until he was moved to Leavenworth Prison, where he later died of a heart attack.
All prisoners were provided with food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Depending on your "Good Conduct" and you could earn privileges such as music, painting, having access to the prison library, and getting visits from family members. You could be visited by family members once a month for about two hours. Prisoners were provided with cigarettes and tobacco, but had certain times that they could smoke and were not allowed to hoard tobacco. Catholic and Protestant religious services were held on Sundays, with occasional Jewish religious services. Depending on how well they behaved, prisoners could be moved to different "less strict" prisons. Prisoners were given plenty to eat and had decent meals. Convicts were allowed to spend a maximum of five hours in the recreation yard on Saturdays and Sundays. There they could play baseball, chess, and converse with other inmates. Inmates would shower twice a week.
Rules and Regulations
Inmates wore the same uniform most of the time consisting of a blue shirt, blue and white pants, a belt and shoes. They were required to wear it a certain way; the sleeves had to be kept down and the top button had to be left undone. Prisoners were allowed to bring some personal possessions from home, as long as everything was listed on a "property card." Prisoners were not allowed to talk loudly or run in the prison. At the start of Alcatraz as a federal prison, convicts were forced to follow the "silence rule," where they were not permitted to speak at all. Many prisoners considered this their worst punishment, and the silence rule was eventually abandoned.
Treatment/Punishment
One of the most common punishments was solitary confinement, and there were two kinds; In one, nicknamed "The Hole," prisoners were locked in a dark cell where they could not move around very well. The other type was less strict, where an inmate was locked in a regular cell separated from the other prisoners. Although guards were prohibited to treat the prisoners harshly, there were times when a guard would beat an inmate. In one case, a guard turned the air conditioning on a night so the prisoners would be extremely cold. In severe cases, a prisoner could be executed in a gas chamber. There were approximately thirty deaths at the prison: eight were murdered by other inmates, five committed suicide, and about fifteen died of illness, not including at least two that were executed in a gas chamber.
Escape Attempts
There have been fourteen separate attempted escapes from Alcatraz, all of which deemed unsuccessful. Of the thirty six men that tried to escape (including two that tried to escape twice), twenty three were caught, six shot and killed, and two drowned in the icy waters of Francisco Bay surrounding The Rock. Two men who were caught were later executed in a gas chamber. Five men who were unable to be found were listed as "missing and presumably drowned." Although it's unlikely that any of them survived , some people believe that their escape, known as "The Great Escape," was successful.
The Great Escape
Frank Morris, brothers John and Clarence Anglin, and Allen West were the masterminds behind the "Great Escape from Alcatraz." Using an array of handmade items, such as wrenches, hammers, etc. they were able to escape from the prison out into the San Francisco Bay. Using paint, human hair and a homemade cement powder mixture, they created life-like human heads to conceal (for a time, at least,) that they were gone. They used raincoats to make a life raft, and broke vents in their cell block to escape. Allen West, one of the men in the plot, was left behind after not being able to break his vent. Although it is unlikely that Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers survived, some historians speculate that they escaped successfully and lived.
Famous Inmates
Robert Stroud: Known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," Stroud was sent to jail after murdering a man. He was sent to Alcatraz after stabbing a fellow inmate and killing a guard. Although he was sentenced to death, his mother saved him by pleading to the president. He was known as "The Birdman" because during his time at Leavenworth Prison he became interested in canaries. He was allowed to breed birds and he wrote two books on canaries and their diseases. He spent sixteen years in Alcatraz until he was sent to a medical center for federal prisoners where he later died of natural causes.
Al Capone: He was sent to jail after participating in one of the most famous mass murders in American history, known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre." He was sent to Alcatraz because he manipulated the guards to give him luxuries the other inmates didn't have. He spent four and a half years in Alcatraz before being moved to a different penitentiary. He worked many different jobs at Alcatraz and was once stabbed with a pair of scissors by another inmate. He was sent to the medical wing and was released a few days later.
George "Machine Gun" Kelly: "Machine Gun" is considered to be one of the most famous gangsters of his time. He and his wife, Kathryn, kidnapped a famous businessman and held him for ransom at 200,000 dollars. After splitting the money with some of their accomplices, they evaded police by moving to different states and dyeing their hair to conceal their identity. They were eventually captured and received life sentences. George stayed at Alcatraz until he was moved to Leavenworth Prison, where he later died of a heart attack.