Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years Part 6

The hospital ward at Alcatraz was located at the west end of the prison on the second floor, directly above the Mess Hall. The Hospital was accessed via a stairwell leading from inside the Mess Hall entrance and was completely isolated from the rest of the prison. A Bureau of Prisons bulletin described the medical facilities at Alcatraz in further detail: The U.S. Public Health Service provides medical faculties and staff for Alcatraz, as well as for other federal penitentiaries and correctional inst.i.tutions. The Alcatraz Hospital, adjacent to the main cell house, is equipped with modern x-ray and physical therapy apparatus, operating theater, laboratories, and dental unit, and contains wards and individual rooms for the treatment and convalescence of inmate patients. It has been certified by the American College of Surgeons and compares favorably with the up-to-date hospitals and clinics in the free community.

The medical staff includes a chief medical officer and highly trained technicians, all career personnel of the Public Health Service. Specialists from the Marine Hospital in San Francisco also are available for consultation and to augment the permanent local staff. Three San Francisco Physiatrists are employed to counsel and treat Alcatraz inmates and they visit the island frequently in the performance of their duties. Inmates whose mental disorders indicate psychotic trends or continuing deterioration are transferred to the Medical Center at Springfield, Missouri.

There were also two designated isolation cells that were known by inmates as the "Bug Rooms" were constructed in the later years of the penitentiary. These small rooms for special confinement only measured approximately 8' x 8' x 10'. The interior surfaces were completely covered with ceramic tiles that were pinkish in color. The door was also covered with a matching tile surface and light entered through fogged translucent gla.s.s tiles that were smoothly set into the walls. One of these rooms was equipped with only a hole in the floor for the inmate to relieve himself. There was a small clear gla.s.s pane that would allow observation of the patient, and a small rectangle portal that was used to pa.s.s in food and medicine. The two cells were only used in the most of extreme cases of mental instability.

Sick call took place after the noon meal each day. Former correctional officer Frank Heaney would indicate in his book Inside the Walls of Alcatraz that an estimated ten percent of the inmate population showed up every day in the sick line. Many exaggerated their illnesses in efforts to break the monotony, or asked for sleeping medications to help them deal with the stresses of confinement.

Alcatraz in War Time (1942 1945).

World War II Soldiers from the 216th Coast Artillery Regiment manning a 40mm anti-aircraft gun positioned on top of the family apartments.

During World War II, Alcatraz became a prominent contributor to the war effort. This was the one period during which the inmates and administration stood together. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the Mat Shop was quickly converted into a cargo net factory. The netting manufactured in the Industries would be used to protect the harbor from submarine attacks. The inmates would also be responsible for the maintaining the marine buoys that held the nets, and making field jackets for field soldiers. Former inmate Jim Quillen recalled when he first entered the recreation yard in 1942, the sight of inmates cheering from the bleachers as Naval s.h.i.+ps pa.s.sed the island with sailors lining the decks. The inmates' work was inspired, and they took great pride in their contribution.

As a result of the prison's contribution to the war industries, Alcatraz also became an enemy target. Fears of a j.a.panese attack became p.r.o.nounced among the citizens of San Francisco and Alcatraz would renew her role as a military fortress. Like their Civil War predecessors, the military strategists of the day recognized the strategic position of Alcatraz. The Military positioned three 40-mm anti-aircraft guns atop the main cellhouse and apartment building structures. Air-raid drills were performed for both inmates and island residents. Captain of the Guards, Phil Bergen, a.s.sumed the role of Air Raid Warden in addition to his normal duties. During drills, a special siren would be sounded and Alcatraz would go into blackout mode. Every light was required to be doused in efforts to reduce the chances of being bombed by enemy aircraft, though the lighthouse shutdown would only be simulated. The inmates were trained to take cover beneath their cell bunks while under attack, but it became obvious that this would offer them only minimal protection. The island residents were required to retreat into shelters located in Building #64, and Phil Bergen would be tasked with inspecting the island dwellings to insure that everyone complied with the blackout regulations.

The stationing of a military unit at Alcatraz also created a unique challenge for prison officers and their families as the young soldiers were integrated into the living arrangements of the island. They were provided access to the recreational facilities and as a result, several romances blossomed. The young soldiers were often idolized by many of the teenage daughters of correctional officers. Bergen would later comment that several officers were not shy when it came to establis.h.i.+ng the "stone rules of dating their daughters." It was an exciting period for the teenagers, as the bowling alley and dance hall became popular hangouts on weekends.

With time, it became evident that the fear of enemy attack which had inspired the establishment of a military base on Alcatraz was not entirely unfounded. After the war, it would be confirmed that j.a.panese submarines had patrolled the waters and plotted attacks just outside of the San Francisco harbor.

The Prison Library.

The Alcatraz Library contained over 15,000 volumes of fiction and non-fiction. Reading was the primary pastime for all inmates, especially between the idle hours of 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The Culbertson's series on playing Bridge was in high demand among inmates, and these books were always the most requested for reading. The library stocked multiple copies of each volume.

Inmates were permitted to purchase an Auto Bridge gaming device, which allowed them to play the game by themselves.

Radio jacks were installed in the cellhouse in 1955, when for the first time inmates were allowed to choose between two radio programs, which included sports and talk shows.

The library at Alcatraz contained over 15,000 books of fiction and non-fiction. Reading was the primary pastime for all inmates, especially between the idle hours of 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. There were few activities available to the inmates while they were confined to their cells. They could write letters to family members, smoke tobacco, do artwork, play a musical instrument (if approved), work a crossword puzzle, or play a game of chess or checkers with a neighboring inmate. In these games, each player maintained their own board and quietly called out each move to the player in the neighboring cell.

The inmates at Alcatraz were typically very well read. The average inmate in the general population would read seventy-five to a hundred books a year, not including periodicals and magazines. The reading materials at Alcatraz were heavily censored, and the subjects of s.e.x and crime were strictly forbidden. Each inmate was provided with a full library catalog of available t.i.tles and could submit a weekly request slip to check out books. The general population inmates were never allowed to visit the library and browse through the collection. The cellhouse orderly filled requests by manually delivering the books on a pull cart. Several notable inmates, including Al Capone, Bernard Paul Coy, and Clarence Carnes all held this job a.s.signment for a brief tenure during their incarceration at Alcatraz.

The resident Chaplain, who was also responsible for the content of the reading materials, generally supervised the prison library. The prison featured its own bookbindery and utilized a special catalog system. The library also included a music collection of nearly 1,000 records. A Federal Bureau of Prisons booklet published in 1960 described the reading habits of Alcatraz inmates: ... these men read more serious literature than does the ordinary person in the community. Philosophers such as Kant, Schopenhauer, Hegel, etc., are especially popular and their books have a wide circulation. Advanced mathematics and physics texts, too, are in great demand, as are other types of literature having to do with more profound aspects of our culture. The latest magazines and periodicals are furnished and enable men to keep abreast of current events in the free community.

In his memoir Alcatraz from the Inside, former inmate Jim Quillen described the most popular reading materials from an inmate's perspective: Culbertson's Beginner's Book of Bridge was beyond doubt the most desired and read book in the prison's twenty-nine years of existence. When the Warden permitted "Auto Bridge" (a device where an inmate could play a game by himself) to be ordered, it was to some inmates like Christmas had happened twice in one year.

The most popular magazine subscriptions were to Life, Time, Newsweek, and technical publications such as Popular Mechanics, Science Digest, Mechanics Ill.u.s.trated, and Popular Science. Inmates were allowed to keep three books in their cell at any one time, in addition to a Bible and a dictionary.

For twenty-one years after the opening of Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary, reading was the primary means of pa.s.sing the time until lights out at 9:30 p.m. Then on October 4, 1955, the 295 inmates at Alcatraz were given a special treat when radio jacks were installed in all of the general population cells. The cellhouse residents cheered, stomped and laughed as they listened to theBrooklyn Dodgers pull off their first and only World Series victory over their arch-nemesis, the New York Yankees. On this special occasion, the inmates were allowed a day off from work to listen to the World Series events. Two radio receivers and a reel-to-reel tape machine were installed in the Control Center. The inmates could select a station by simply plugging their headset into the jack of their choice. The inmates were allowed to listen to radio programs from 5:30 p.m. until lights out at 9:30 p.m. every day. This proved to be the biggest morale booster ever afforded to the prisoners, though the radio jacks were not available in the hospital or in D Block. One inmate recalled: I can remember lying on my bunk with my eyes closed, and dreaming that I was at this baseball game with my gal. I could imagine all of the sights and smells of the hotdogs and the summer breeze in the stadium. Those headphones were my escape to another world.

The Recreation Yard.

Comparison photographs showing the recreation yard in August 1934 before the cement bleachers were constructed, and a present-day view with the bleachers. Numerous inmates enjoyed sitting high atop the cement bleachers to enjoy the beautiful panoramic scenery of the San Francis...o...b..y.

Inmates in the recreation yard playing the card game Bridge, which was the most popular pastime among the prison population. Specially marked wooden dominos were used to replace standard playing cards, since the cellulose coating was a flammable substance which could be used as an explosive. Dominos were also better suited to the prevalent wind conditions common in the San Francis...o...b..y.

Inmates playing handball in December of 1954. Note the painted wall markings identifying the court boundaries.

Armed officers supervised inmates from the perimeter catwalks during weekend recreation periods. The general population inmates were permitted two visits per week (on Sat.u.r.day and Sunday) to the recreation yard, weather permitting. There were a variety of activities available to the inmates during their recreation period. They could play baseball, handball, or volleyball, or simply walk the yard for exercise.

A correctional officer is seen standing atop the bleachers, looking out over the recreation yard.

The recreation yard at Alcatraz was considered a sacred place among the inmates. The yard was a cement-enclosed area with thick twenty-foot walls, and a perimeter catwalk for armed officers. The general population inmates were allowed recreation time in the yard on weekends, ordinarily a 21/2-hour visit on Sat.u.r.days and Sundays. Inmates who were confined to the Treatment Unit were allowed one weekly visit, lasting only one hour. These inmates would sometimes be allowed to visit with one or two others who were also serving time in segregation.

Inmates lived for the yard. It was the only escape from the daily routine of reform. Morton Sobell, the famed co-defendant of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, would later recount a vivid memory of country music being amplified through the recreation yard. He commented that his leisure time in the yard was almost sacred, and that he never missed a visit for the first three years of his imprisonment. He would also describe the unusual beauty of the prison's position in the San Francis...o...b..y in his personal memoir ent.i.tled On Doing Time: ... standing on the top of the steps leading down to the prison yard I saw the Golden Gate in all its splendor. It was magnificent, as I absorbed the view I thought to myself, "I will never have such a magnificent view in any other prison." Prison notwithstanding, I enjoyed it until the day I left. The distant green hills, and the soaring towers of the bridge, with graceful catenary suspended between them, always lifted my spirits.

The recreation period also offered partic.i.p.ation in several sports, as well as card games that were played using Tonk brand Dominos in place of standard decks. Playing Bridge was the favorite pastime. Former inmate Jim Quillen stated: These guys were fanatical about bridge and they knew all of the conventions. The Alcatraz library stocked various Culbertson books, and they memorized them cover-to-cover. They dreamed about Bridge. It was all some of these men thought about. The expert Bridge players held a very special status amongst this circle of inmates. These men caused little trouble to the guards, and always followed the rules to the letter so they could compete.

Inmates could also play shuffleboard, handball or softball. The prison rules differed slightly from the standard regulations with shorter innings, and b.a.l.l.s. .h.i.t over the wall were considered as an out. Fights were commonplace in the yard, whether they were initiated during line-up for the industry details or during recreation periods; the yard could be a violent place. Softball bats were favored weapons and knives were frequently smuggled into the yard as well. With loaded machine guns and high-powered rifles, guards paced back and forth along the perimeter wall catwalks, watching over the inmates. This was a powerful reminder that stepping out of line could be fatal.

Some inmates simply took their time outdoors to connect with the outside world by walking around the yard with friends and smelling the salt ocean air. They would occasionally watch the tour boats cruising the Bay from the yard bleachers, and sometimes they could even smell the aroma of the chocolate and coffee factories on the mainland.

The Mess Hall.

A photograph from 1950 showing inmates entering the Mess Hall, nicknamed by prisoners as the "Gas Chamber." Note the dual locking mechanisms on the open steel barred gate. The redundant lock system included both a remotely controlled electric mechanism and a manual key lock. It took two officers to control access in and out of the Mess Hall.

Inmates marched into the Mess Hall and lined up for their food in the order of their cell a.s.signments.

The floors at Alcatraz were always polished to a glowing s.h.i.+ne.

Paul Ritter was known by fellow inmates as the "Brew Master." He was said to be an expert at making alcoholic beverages.

Inmates filing past the steam tables. Prisoners were allowed to fill their trays with as much food as they wanted, but under strict orders that no waste would be permissible.

The Mess Hall was considered the most dangerous section of the prison for correctional officers. The unarmed floor officers had to supervise almost the entire prison population within a single area. Eating utensils, steak bones, and steaming hot coffee were only a few of the items that could be used as makes.h.i.+ft weapons.

One of the fourteen permanently fixed teargas dispensers in the Mess Hall.

The remote control panel switches used to discharge the fixed teargas canisters in the Dining Hall. The gas release panel was located on the exterior catwalk, from which the officer on duty was able to observe all interior activities in safety.

A photograph of the caged exterior gun gallery and catwalk. The gas release panel was located inside this enclosure.

The Steward's office inside the prison kitchen, with an officer seated at the desk.

Warden Swope seen in the background inspecting the main kitchen area.

The officers eating area inside the Mess Hall.

Inmate Darwin c.o.o.n working inside the bakery.

The interior of the kitchen in 1934.

Knife and utensil storage cabinet.

On holidays, inmates enjoyed special menus and live music played by the prison ensemble.

The inmate orchestra, known as the "Rock Islanders." This 1949 photograph shows orchestra leader Lloyd Barkdoll (front left) and John Bayless (back right), two of the many men who attempted to escape from Alcatraz.

Prison administration photographs showing before and after images of the Dining Hall, following the 1961 purchase of newer cafeteria-style tables. Former inmate Darwin c.o.o.n indicated that the new dining fixtures were extremely popular amongst the prisoner population.

A present-day view of the prison Dining Hall.

The Officers' Dining Room, located upstairs and across from the prison Chapel and Auditorium.

Inmates (seen here in uniform) worked as stewards in the Officers' Dining Room.

Inmate Theodore "Blackie" Audett serving "Jailhouse Chili" in the officers' kitchen.

Warden Madigan is seen greeting an officer's family member inside the Officers' Dining Room. Inmate Theodore Audett (one of the stewards) is seen here a.s.sisting Madigan.

Alcatraz Barbershop The dining area, or "Gas Chamber" as the inmate population referred to it, was considered the most dangerous section of the prison. Nearly the entire prison population (with the exception of D Block inmates) would a.s.semble into one s.p.a.ce, which could mean a congregation of more than 300 inmates at one time. For this reason, tableware was issued to inmates on a need only basis. This was a critical element in minimizing inmates' access to potential weapons, because sharp eating utensils and even food could be used in this way. Hot coffee could be used to incapacitate an opponent with burns, and the sharp bone from a T-bone steak could easily be used like a knife. All of the cooking and cutlery tools were kept in locked cabinets and carefully guarded. Butcher knives were all stored in a wooden case with painted silhouettes behind the utensils, so that guards would quickly notice if anything was missing.

To maintain order, fourteen fixed teargas dispensers were permanently mounted on ceiling structure beams. The switches used to discharge the toxic gases could be remotely operated by a guard stationed on the exterior catwalk, who was able to observe all interior activities from a secure position. The Armory officer also had control of two of the dispensers in the entrance area. Former inmate Jim Quillen stated that the mere threat of "being ga.s.sed by a screw" seemed to have a quieting effect on most of the inmate population.

At mealtimes, inmates entered the Mess Hall and stood in a single serving line, and then seated themselves by order of their cell a.s.signment. The men were seated side by side at bench tables, with five places set on each side. This system was replaced in 1961, and from then on small cafeteria-style tables allowed inmates to sit with whomever they wanted, with only four places at a table. After Warden Johnston abolished the rule of silence in 1937, the inmates were allowed to talk quietly among themselves at their tables during meals. In the early years of the prison, inmates had been required to wear special pocket-less coveralls to minimize the concealment of contraband, but this rule also was later lifted. The officer positioned in the West Gun Gallery had a large rifle port that allowed him to supervisor activities, and also to represent a show of force.

Quality food was considered an essential right, and the food at Alcatraz was considered the best in the entire prison system, with menus prepared under the supervision of civilian stewards. Inmates were allowed to fill their trays with as much food as they wanted, but under strict order that no waste would be permissible. They were not allowed to rise from their tables until all of the eating utensils were counted and reckoned. At the end of each meal, the utensils would be pa.s.sed to the end of the table for counting by the officer on duty. Once the count was confirmed, the men would rise in unison and then walk in military formation back to their cells.

During the Christmas season, inmate Morton Sobell recalled that Bing Crosby's White Christmas was amplified throughout the cellhouse and the Dining Hall would be decorated. After the breakfast meal on Christmas Day, the inmates would each receive a care package from the Bureau of Prisons. In a report to the Bureau Director on December 25, 1942 it was stated that every inmate had received the following package, at a total cost of only .62 cents per inmate: 2 packages of filtered cigarettes.

1 Uno Chocolate Bar and 1 Baffle Bar.

3 Cellophane bags of salted peanuts.

1/2 Lb. bag of hard candy.

1 Package of Fig Newton's, 17 cookies to a package.

On select holidays, the prison band would entertain the inmates. Quillen remembered that on every Fourth of July, T-bone steaks would be served along with a carbonated beverage such as Coca Cola and apple pie for desert. In his memoir On the Rock, former inmate Alvin Karpis recalled the first Christmas tree at Alcatraz in 1948: As I file into the dining hall this morning, I witness a sight never before seen inside these walls. Her soft scent, which has not aroused my nostrils for more than twelve years, reawakens strange emotions long forgotten. In the middle of the mess hall stands the first Christmas tree ever to be erected at Alcatraz.

The culinary detail was a prime work a.s.signment for inmates. The men on this detail were allowed daily visits to the recreation yard, and were allotted daily showers if requested. It was a non-paying a.s.signment, but inmates serving life or unusually lengthy sentences didn't seem to mind. At Alcatraz, "lifers" had no use for money. Inmates a.s.signed to the culinary detail were also granted benefits that were not always available even to the correctional staff. Alvin Karpis described the access to "unlimited food, " commenting: "we have our choice of the food supplies and can prepare appetizers whenever we crave them rather than being regimented to strict meal hours like the general population or the guards." Karpis would also claim that the kitchen detail was a haven for s.e.xual encounters among the inmates. He indicated that the bas.e.m.e.nt was a "labyrinth of vegetable rooms, showers, freezers, and storerooms, where... delights are exchanged frequently and freely." In the best-selling cla.s.sic Escape from Alcatraz, J. Campbell Bruce describes the acquisition of alcoholic beverages at Alcatraz: ... generally the inmates had to make their own booze and the best place for such an illicit operation was the bakery in the bas.e.m.e.nt beneath the kitchen. Here the yeasty aroma of a fermenting brew was so akin to that of rising dough that the making of pruno [an exotic prison homemade c.o.c.ktail] went undetected for a long time... The recipe was simple: put raisins and other dried fruit to soak in a crock, add yeast to speed up the fermentation, and cover the crock with flour sacks. The bakers realizing they had a good thing going, drank in moderation, an aperitif before meals.

Former inmate Darwin E. c.o.o.n was also a.s.signed to the kitchen during his incarceration on The Rock, and he recalled some of the special meals inmates were served at Alcatraz in his memoir Alcatraz The True End of the Line: Whenever the inmates saw the chef's meal on the menu board, they knew that they were in for a special dinner. We usually had a chef's meal about once every three months... Some of the really special meals that I remember were when the striped ba.s.s were running in the Bay. The officers caught them by the wheelbarrow load and wheeled them into the kitchen. The cooks cleaned and cooked them and the inmates got all the fish he could eat. We would stuff the small ones, one to two pounders, with a nice gumbo and bake them. The bigger ones were cut into steaks and fried. The ba.s.s run would last about a month and since Friday was traditionally fish day, we could have four or five of these fish meals.

c.o.o.n would also remember a group of inmates that were nicknamed the "animals." These men had appalling eating habits, and would always sit at the same table in the Mess Hall. c.o.o.n recalled that when these men entered the hall, they would be booed by all of the other inmates.

Warden Edwin Burnham Swope: 1948-1955.

Edwin B. Swope was appointed as the second Warden of Alcatraz in April of 1948.

Warden Swope was known as a tough taskmaster and strict disciplinarian. But despite his authoritarian reputation, he also initiated a variety of inmate reform programs. He is seen here in a meeting with staff members.

Swope facilitating a meeting with his supervisory staff.

Warden Swope and his wife sitting in the rounded parlor of the Warden's mansion at Christmas in 1954.

On April 30, 1948, Edwin B. Swope was appointed as the new Warden of Alcatraz at fifty-nine years of age. He would replace Warden Johnston, who had reached the mandatory retirement age of seventy-four. Swope carried a tough reputation as a strict disciplinarian. When the newspapers discussed how he would approach his new position, he would comment: "It will be different alright." Swope was a believer in reform and he held to the concept of creating a structured plan for inmates to follow. He was firm and strict, and he had his own vision of how to deal with incorrigible inmates.

Swope was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on May 6, 1888, and he left a political career to enter the prison service. He had served as the New Mexico State Democratic Chairman, the State Land Commissioner, and later as a County Treasurer. While working as the Albuquerque City Commissioner in the 1920's, Swope became appalled at the horrific conditions in the city jail. He made the decision to take up prison work, and to help develop strict programs that would successfully reform inmates in a humane environment. During one interview with the press in April of 1948, just before taking his new a.s.signment, Swope would be quoted as saying: Alcatraz is the supreme end of a criminal career. Alcatraz gets all of the rotten apples out of the barrel. If one can get a new seed to grow from those rotten apples, they're on the right track.

By the time Swope stepped off the prison launch onto Alcatraz, he had already served in various Warden appointments in a prison service career that spanned more than eighteen years. Swope had worked at the State Penitentiary in New Mexico, and at the federal penitentiaries at McNeil Island, Terre Haute, Indiana, and Englewood, Colorado. He had been credited with turning around McNeil, and he was the first choice of Bureau Director James Bennett when making his selection for Johnston's replacement.

Warden Johnston proved to be a tough act to follow, and Swope made many decisions that were unpopular with the correctional officers. In one instance he removed the stools from the tower posts, and in another, he forced the officers to serve meals to inmates during a strike. A fair number of officers ultimately became resentful of Swope's leaders.h.i.+p style. The guards usually contested his decisions and won, but Swope maintained his firm heads.h.i.+p. Former Officer and Captain of the Guard Phil Bergen recalled: Swope was a tough act. I can't say that I ever liked him. He lived and died by the rules, and he didn't let the inmates get away with killing a fly, or even the officers for that matter. I can remember working in D-Block and Swope would check the "Hole" cells and make sure that the lights were left off by the officers, and the fronts closed. He wanted to make sure those men did hard time.

Although many of his decisions were not well received, Swope also inst.i.tuted several inmate programs that proved popular with the inmate population. In his first year he arranged for the inmates to see two movies per month, and loosened censors.h.i.+p to allow westerns and an occasional wartime film. Comedies featuring actors such as s.h.i.+rley Temple and Laurel and Hardy had been the most common style of films selected by Johnston and the Chaplain. Swope also increased recreation time on weekends, and extended visitation privileges.

Warden Paul Joseph Madigan: 1955-1961.

Paul J. Madigan, the third Warden of Alcatraz.

Paul Madigan, pictured here with his wife, advanced through the ranks at Alcatraz. He had previously held a variety of positions including Captain, Lieutenant, and a.s.sociate Warden. Madigan had a very diplomatic style of leaders.h.i.+p with staff and inmates alike.