Alcatraz is the most famous prison in the United States. Films have been made and books written about him. Here were the most dangerous criminals in America, prone to disobedience and escape. In 1963, Alcatraz prison was closed, as the maintenance of criminals here was too expensive for the treasury. Today, excursions are conducted here, and yet some parts of Alcatraz are still little explored by curious tourists.
The first commandant of Alcatraz was James Johnson, former director of Saint-Quentin Prison. He was famous for his respectful attitude towards prisoners and could even afford to communicate with them without protection. The last commandant of Alcatraz was Olin Blackwell, most famous for his unbridled drinking.
The main smuggling that they tried to smuggle into Alcatraz prison was always edged weapons - blades, files, sharpening. For the most part, these items were used for internal squabbles between prisoners - the mores of Alcatraz were cruel. But sometimes metal weapons were used to try to escape.
It was in such cameps with one transparent lattice wall, about 3.5 by 2 meters in size, that the prison population of Alcatraz lived. A washstand and a toilet were attached to the bed - that was the whole furnishings. But cellmates, prisoners of Alcatraz, as a rule, were not supposed to.
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The famous gangster was taken to Alcatraz in 1934 on charges of tax revenues. He stayed here until 1939, and all this time he was in conflict with the guards and other prisoners. For his absurd character, Capone even received a blow from another prisoner with a sharpener in a prison barbershop.
It is believed that there was no successful escape attempt at Alcatraz. But they prepared in great numbers. What you see on the bed is a life-size sculpture of a human. The body is made of just about anything, but the head is sculpted quite realistically, and even secretly! With these dolls, the prisoners deceived the guards, preparing to escape - they put the dolls in bed, and they themselves dug and sawed, making their way to freedom.
In this historic photograph from 1963, the last of Alcatraz inmates leave the closing prison to travel to other US correctional facilities.
This weapon, which the prisoners used in a showdown with each other, was taken from them by the prison guards. Do not be surprised that kitchen utensils are used as weapons for the most part. The prisoners of Alcatraz were involved in kitchen work, and there it was a matter of technology to acquire a knife or a cleaver.
Prisoners who needed short medical attention or who were beaten during walks by other prisoners were kept in the jail: even if the beaten did not suffer too much, the administration considered it necessary to let the conflict cool down for a day or two. The conditions in the isolation ward were considered simply royal compared to the ordinary cell.
Prisoners were sent to the infirmary who required long-term medical supervision. It looked much worse than an isolation ward, but it was the only place where constant supervision and medical assistance was available for the prisoners for a long time.
This is the prison kitchen. It was here that food was prepared for the prisoners. The quality of the food was rumored to be appalling, but the prisoners did not even bother to complain: hardened criminals knew that they could not count on pickles in prison.
Prisoner # 117, George Francis Barnes Jr., nicknamed "Machine Gun Kelly", was no less a famous Prohibition-era gangster than Al Capone. On his account - numerous robberies, murders and kidnapping for ransom. He entered Alcatraz in 1934 and for 17 years remained a model prisoner who obeyed all prison rules. In 1951, for exemplary behavior, Kelly, who was serving a life sentence, was transferred to a milder prison, where three years later he died of a heart attack.
Alcatraz's inmates stroll in a board game courtyard where they could play chess or even cards. According to rumors, at the tables, the prisoners not only amused themselves with games, but also discussed plans for escape or criminal operations for a future free life.
Behind this door is a solitary confinement cell, which was considered the worst place in Alcatraz. Inhabitants of the punishment cell were allowed to walk only for an hour, and even then not every day. In addition to violators of the regime, there were also prisoners who were in danger - owed in cards, informants, former police officers and seducers of minors.
Theoretically, there were windows in Alcatraz's cells. In practice, they looked like this photo. The frequent mesh made it impossible to push anything through the window or out of the window - and at the same time it blocked the view so tightly that it was difficult even to guess whether it was day or night.
This is the shared shower room of Alcatraz, the most dangerous place in the prison. Murders were often committed here, as the water allowed the culprit to immediately wash away traces of blood from himself and not fall under suspicion. Attempts of sexual violence also most often took place in the shower.
