Alcatraz page 2

Alcatraz page 2 by ric gustafson


During the late 1920's and early 1930's, a wave of crime was happening across the country. Gangs and mobsters were involved with bootlegging, robbery, kidnapping, murder and extortion. Prisons were crowded and escapes and murders were rampant in prisons. Head of the FBI J Edgar Hoover and Attorney General Homer Cummings wanted a facility to hold the most notorious of criminals. Sanford Bates, head of the federal prisons, wanted to find a facility where he could isolate these influential prisoners.
On Alcatraz, the main prison building was built from the foundations of the citadel. Tool proof bars were used on blocks B and C. Electric doors were installed on some of the cells for extra security. Prisoners were restricted to certain areas of the compound. There were two main cell blocks with three tiers each containing 174 cells per block 348 cells in all. Wire mesh was placed around the work areas. Towers were constructed with high intensity lights. These lights highlighted the dock, gate entrance and over the yard. Barbed wire was placed around the perimeter.
In July and August of 1934, the first prisoners arrived.


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Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric