What It Was Like To Be A Prison Guard at Alcatraz

The federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, located off the coast of San Francisco, CA, opened in 1934. Until it closed nearly three decades later, Alcatraz was reserved for some of the most ruthless criminals. Life at Alcatraz was not just about confinement and punishment but discipline and routine. Not everything about Alcatraz was considered undesirable; in fact, some convicts even requested doing time at "The Rock."

#Alcatraz #PrisonGuards #WeirdHistory

[KendlickLama]

I love the postcard with a picture of alcatraz with „wish you were here“ written on it😂

[davea]

Years ago, my dad gave me a sweatshirt that said, "Alcatraz Swim Team". I wore it. My dad had a good sense of humor. I miss my dad, he died in 2017. RIP

[QuasiTraction]

Another book, for those interested in Alcatraz history, is the one the late Jim Quillen wrote in the early 1990's "Alcatraz From the inside". It's a simple read, but I met the man in 1995 when Dad took my brother & I on vacation in SF. He went on to work in the medical field.

[bresams]

This was awesome. My mom was a prison guard for 10 years. Her short answers and facial expressions tells me, they see Alot of things they can't talk about but never forget.

[Seventeen_Syllables]

It's been thirty years, give or take, since I visited Alcatraz. In the visitor center I met former inmate Jim Quillen, a kidnapper. Mr. Quillen was granted a full pardon by President Carter, and had written a book "Alcatraz from Inside", which he was selling there in the center. There were few people visiting that day, so I had time to talk to the author as he signed my copy. One thing in particular that I asked was if he was ever nostalgic for the place. As a submariner I can well understand how enduring close quarters and a grinding schedule can result in attitudes that mellow with the years. But no, he denied any nostalgia for the place. In fact he said that he had never once set foot inside the prison proper since being released. Later as I read his book, I noted a photograph of him in the dining hall showing where he had attempted his escape. Well, memory is a funny thing. Mr. Quillen passed in 1998. I hope he found peace.

[lindacoolbaugh]

Interesting cause I never knew about the guard's families living on the island. Great video as always!

[emmgeevideo]

My grandfather worked for the US Bureau of Prisons from the mid-1930s to the late-1960s. He and my grandmother (and my mother when she was a child) always lived "on the reservation", the housing area that was incorporated into the prison grounds. Other than being on an island (about a 10 minute boat ride to/from "the mainland") there is little exceptional that is recounted here about the lifestyle of corrections officers and their families. He worked at the penitentiary in Springfield MO when "The Birdman" Bob Stroud came after transfer from Alcatraz. My grandfather said that Stroud was a cold-blooded murderer and gave off that vibe even as a sick old man. He was really annoyed at the Burt Lancaster movie that made Stroud look like a kindly intellectual.

[edwardlincoln]

My grandpa Sam Keller, integrated from Hungary around 1890. Joined the US Army around 1900 and was a prison guard at Alcatraz around 1905 before it was a federal pen

[BadCookWhoJudgesChefs]

Do one for Guantanamo Bay! I deployed with the Navy and the ship needed repairs so we were at GITMO for 2 weeks. It wasnt bad at all. Arcade, bowling alley, restaurants, a club, multiple bars, you can go fishing and spear fishing, and much more. It probably would get old to be stationed there for a long time but in the short term, GITMO was pretty fun haha.

[SultanKhan]

"Many were housed in building 64." Shows picture with buildings, none are numbered 64.

[cadillacdeville]

Better than any history class I've ever taken 😌

[Wardner]

Strange to hear the kids have memories of sharks... I've heard many times that guards lied to prisoners about shark infested waters to deter escape attempts.

[redswift]

I'm a CO at ASP and honestly its a good job but it is a bit stressful. Some of the stories I hear from the old guys are crazy as hell.

[Polymathically]

I was lucky enough to sleep overnight on Alcatraz for a weekend. This was back in the early 90s, when I was in the Boy Scouts. We did some volunteer cleanup and got a private tour. That place is much, _much_ creepier at night after all the tourists leave. The fog rolls in, and you can't see the city anymore. It's like you're trapped in this little pocket of reality where nothing exists but the island. On the other hand, the audio tour is way more interesting when you don't have to deal with the crowds. We got to sleep in cells in Block D, but of course we brought our own sleeping bags. Looking back, that was such a great and unique experience. Oh, and in case anyone thinks I'm lying, try Googling 10 unbelievable places Boy Scouts have camped. It's featured on an article. I tried linking to it directly here, but YouTube autodeleted it.

[Oldbmwrrs]

My stepmother grow up on the island, her father was a guard there. it was something she never really talked about, at least to me, and we only really did shortly before she passed. She told me about taking the ferry to the city every day for school and coming back, and how it was a little hard to make friends as much of the time you were pretty stuck in a small area. i wanted her to add to the oral history of the children who grew up there but sadly she didn't last long enough to make it back down. She lived there from being very young to a teenager, so got to know what all was going on. I really wish i'd learned more about it from her.

[tonypreston]

I work at a locked MI/CD inpatient treatment facility. It’s extremely stressful due to the pent up anger in the clients and the occasional violence. I can’t imagine what it was like for the Alcatraz guards.

[rickkinki]

I've been fortunate to visit Alcatraz about four times. Once, the late ex-prisoner Jim Quillen was there, selling his book, and signing autographs. I still have the copy he signed for me.

[NewMessage]

"Child resident of Alcatraz" sounds like a Creepypasta title.

[alcoholically]

Crazy how the Battle of Alcatraz ended up being Bo2s Mob of The Dead. Imagine how quickly shit went from joy to confusion to total hell in their heads

[NewMessage]

How is 'Alcatraz Bowling Alley' not a band name already?