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    ALCATRAZ

    By | December 13, 2007

    Have you seen the movie “The Rock”? The one that starred Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage among others. It featured the prison Alcatraz where they escaped. The legendary prison facility off the mainland that is home to the most feared convicts known to America’s justice system has been featured in scores of movies and television series.

    Alcatraz is a high security prison in the middle of the San Fransisco Bay in California. This legendary structure was first a lighthouse, then it became a military fortification and then a military prison until it became a federal prison in 1963. Today it is open to visitors who can reach it by taking a ferry from Pier 33 which is next to Fisherman’s Wharf.

    After the Great Depression and Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s due to the sudden rise of organized crime and the inability of the federal government to tackle the rising crime rate, it was decided to send these gangsters to Alcatraz where escaping would pose a problem for them.

    None of the prisoners in the prison have any special privileges and a small number of prisoners are transported by van to the top of the hill. The basic necessities are given to the prisoners and they also have work schedules laid out for them, which becomes the most valuable thing to each prisoner.

    The most startling thing about this prison is that no prisoners have ever successfully escaped although there have been 14 foiled attempts involving 34 prisoners. Alcatraz has housed several deadly prisoners including the much feared underworld don Al Capone. 

    The prison was shut down in between on the orders of Robert Kennedy as it was much more expensive than any other prison. Maintaining a prisoner here cost $ 10 as compared to $ 3 in any other prison nationwide.

    It is because of its inaccessibility and tough conditions that Alcatraz still retains that aura of mystery.

    Topics: Alcatraz |

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