Alcatraz: The Great Escape

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Setting

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary or simply, Alcatraz, was a prison built on Alcatraz Island in the 1850s (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). Situated in San Francisco Bay, California, the prison first served as a place to keep military criminals. Later on in the 1930s, Alcatraz was turned into a federal prison until its closure in 1963 (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). Alcatraz was designed to be a last resort for troublesome prisoners (Pruitt). Famous for its reputation of reportedly being unescapable, the prison was guarded with towering fences and surrounded by cold, violent waters.

The Escapees

In the 1962 Alcatraz jailbreak, 3 men were found missing from their beds on the morning of June 12th (U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations, hereafter known as U.S. F.B.I). The first two were brothers John and Clarence Anglin, inmates #AZ-1476 and #AZ-1485. Both had been charged with robberies – but were at Alcatraz specifically due to the fact they had tried to escape many other prisons before (Ocean View Publishing Company, hereafter referred to as O.V.P.C). The third was Frank Morris, inmate #AZ-1441 (O.V.P.C) He had led a life of crime, being convicted of his first at the mere age of 13 (O.V.P.C.). His offences ranged from possession of narcotics to armed robbery (O.V.P.C.). He was known try and escape incarceration as well (Pruitt).The three were well acquainted before arriving at Alcatraz, having been all imprisoned in an Atlanta jail previously (O.V.P.C.).

The Alcatraz Jailbreak of 1962

At 7:15 am on June 12th, 1962, John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris were all found missing from their beds. In their place were paper maché dummy heads that were placed to look like they were sleeping soundly. Shortly after, officials found a packet of letters sealed in rubber and a wooden paddle in the waters surrounding Alcatraz Island (U.S. F.B.I.). With the help of Alcatraz inmate Allen West, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations started to piece together what happened the evening of June 11th 1962 (U.S. F.B.I.).

Allen West claimed that in the months leading to the escape, he and the three others made a plan to break out (U.S. F.B.I.). Using crude tools and materials stolen from prison workshops and a concealed room, the group chipped away at their vent grates in their cells (U.S. F.B.I.). They were also able to construct a raft out of over 50 stolen raincoats (U.S. F.B.I.). On the night of the escape, all of the group but West were able to climb through their cell vents; West’s had not come loose enough (U.S. F.B.I). The Anglin brothers and Morris made the decision to leave West behind (U.S. F.B.I.). This was the last time anyone saw the trio (U.S. F.B.I). West claims that the plan was to climb to the roof, shimmy down smokestack pipes and launch the raft on the northeast shore of the island (U.S. F.B.I). From there, the group would reach Angel Island, 2.4 miles away, then swim to Marin County (U.S. F.B.I.). West also asserted that the three were to steal a car, clothes, then go their separate ways (U.S. F.B.I.).