Alcatraz: The Rock’s Famous Prisoners

Machine Gun Kelly

George Kelly Barnes came to the attention of US authorities after wielding a machine gun and kidnapping a wealthy oil magnate, Mr Charles Urschel. A ransom letter from Barnes was delivered to Urschel's friend, demanding $200,000 in exchange for his safe release. Money changed hands, and Urschel was released unharmed. Thanks to an exhaustive interview by the FBI, Urschel's testimony led agents to a house in Tennessee. Barnes was taken into custody and sent to Alcatraz.

He stayed on the Rock for seventeen years. Despite his fearsome reputation outside, the regime quickly beat him into submission. He became an altar boy before finally being transferred to Leavenworth prison, where he died four years later in 1954.

Robert Stroud

Known as “The Birdman of Alcatraz”, Robert Stroud was viewed as one of America’s most notorious criminals. After murdering a bartender in Alaska at the age of 18, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. While incarcerated in Leavenworth, he stabbed and killed a prison guard. Initially, he was sentenced to death by hanging but had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment instead. While in solitary confinement, Stroud discovered a nest with three injured birds. He nursed them back to health, and, during his sentence went on to raise nearly 300 birds. Despite being incarcerated, Stroud published a book and gained fame within the world of ornithology. His time in Leavenworth came to an end in 1942 when he was found making alcohol in his cell. He was moved to Alcatraz, where rules meant he could not look after his birds. Instead, he turned his attention to literature and penned a history of the penal system.

Al Capone

Al Capone is perhaps the best-known gangster in the world. He's gone down in history as the mastermind behind the St. Valentine's Day Massacre - the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang in 1929. Surprisingly, despite the blood on his hands, this wasn't why he was arrested. It was tax evasion that led to his downfall. But even in prison in Atlanta, Capone still seemed to run the show. His cell was carpeted, and he played tennis most afternoons. Guards went easy on him due to the money he slipped them. This changed when he was transferred to The Rock. The harsh philosophy of punishment over rehabilitation shocked Capone. He tried to bribe the guards multiple times but to no avail. Some years into his sentence, Capone admitted defeat to one of the wardens.

"It looks like Alcatraz has got me licked,"

Al Capone

His submission and good behaviour did pay off, though. He was allowed to learn the guitar and got a coveted spot in the prison band, The Rock Islanders, who played for the inmates on Sunday afternoons. Due to his failing health, Capone was released from prison on 16 November 1939. He died in 1947 due to apoplexy.

The Prison

Alcatraz Island is 22 acres of solid rock, sitting around a mile and a half from San Francisco.

After a series of breakouts from prisons across the US (thanks, in part, to easily bribable guards), the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, needed something to act as a deterrent to the escape artists. This is where Alcatraz came into play. Its position off the coast, intimidating stone walls, and inhospitable air were perfect for breaking the spirit of even the hardiest of criminals. Days were filled with hard labour. Even the slightest infraction could see prisoners sent to segregated cells. Life was dull and repetitive - exactly as J. Edgar Hoover had planned.

Over its 29 active years, 36 men tried 14 separate escapes. Nearly all were caught or didn’t survive the attempt, drowning in the black waters that surrounded the island. Three men - John Anglin, his brother Clarence, and Frank Morris - did escape in 1962. Later, some paddle-like pieces of wood and bits of rubber inner tube were found. It is believed that the three men drowned. However, the U.S. Marshals Service continues to investigate, in the unlikely event the trio are still alive.

Alcatraz closed its doors on March 21st, 1963, citing running costs as the reason. It is now one of America's most popular tourist attractions, welcoming more than 1.4 million visitors annually.