Federal land as a national park. Technically not part of California so you can’t smoke recreational Marijuana here. I recommend the first ferry as it gets you there just as the prison opens. The main exhibit is on the evolution of the US correctional system, like at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, where Al Capone was also incarcerated.
The audio guide, available in most major languages, guides visitors through at a leisurely pace. I’ve been to a bunch of prisons before, so I listened while reading the signs, outpacing the guide. There are stories of big guys crocheting to pass the time, prison guards being bored to nuts in a guard tower, and once-a-month visitations.
The guards at Alcatraz were considered to be the best in the federal correctional system. They were hand-picked by the wardens and had years of experience in other prisons by the time they worked here. But Alcatraz didn’t last long, it was closed in 1963 under orders of Bobby Kennedy, brother of JFK, as attorney general.
After it closed, an assorted group of Native Americans occupied the prison for 19 months riding the wave of the Civil Rights Movement to being light to their plight. There’s also an exhibit on prison work and whether it’s fair to use prison labor.
0 Comments