Prisoners who violated the rules faced harsh disciplinary measures. In addition to losing their earned class rankings, violators were assigned other punishments including but not limited to hard labor details, wearing a twenty-four pound ball and ankle chain, and solitary lock-downs with a highly restricted bread and water diet. In his book entitled Alcatraz 1868-1963, author John Goodwin referred to the use of disciplinary cages that were merely twelve inches deep and twenty-three inches wide, thus “forcing anyone locked inside to remain standing throughout his confinement.” The cages were used specifically for inmates termed as “conscientious objectors.” These were men who had objected to military service during World War I, based on religious or political beliefs. The National Civic Liberty Bureau claimed that several of these inmates were confined in the disciplinary cages for ten-day stretches, and that upon being released they would collapse to the floor. Prison officials, however, claimed that the cages were to be used only in the most extreme cases.
The “Torture Cages” that were installed at Alcatraz during World War I as seen in a San Francisco Examiner illustration. In later years an inmate work crew cleaning out a storage area located a broken pillory device. One of the inmates recalled a guard jokingly referring to it as an “Alcatraz Life Preserver.”
A 1918 photograph of the Alcatraz Medical Unit Staff. During this era, the prison maintained an advanced medical center that included full surgical, dental, and laboratory facilities.
The average age of law-offending soldiers was twenty-four and they were generally serving short-term sentences for desertion or lesser crimes. However, it wasn't uncommon to find soldiers serving longer sentences for the more serious crimes of insubordination, assault, larceny and murder. One interesting element of the military order was that prisoner's cells could be used only for sleeping, unless the prisoner was in lock-down status. All inmates were prohibited from visiting their cells during the day. Inmates with first or second class rankings were allowed to go anywhere about the prison grounds, with the firm exception of the guards’ quarters on the upper levels.
Despite stringent rules and harsh standards for those convicted of thuggish crimes, Alcatraz primarily functioned in a minimum-security capacity. The types of work assignments given to inmates varied depending on the prisoner, their assigned prison class and how responsible they were. Many prisoners worked as general servants, who cooked, cleaned, and attended to household chores for island families. In many cases select prisoners were entrusted to care for children who lived on the island. Alcatraz was also home to several Chinese families who were employed as staff servants, and during this period they represented the majority of the island’s civilian population.
The lack of strict focus in the minimum-security environment worked to the advantage of some inmates who hoped to make a break for freedom. Most prisoners never made it to the mainland and more commonly turned back to be rescued. Those who were not missed and failed to turn back would eventually tire and drown. The prison did not start to utilize trained military prison guards until 1907, and up to that point inmates were usually guarded by young garrison soldiers, which sometimes provided seasoned prisoners with valuable opportunities. For this reason, there were numerous escapes during the military era.
In August of 1898, four young soldiers serving time for minor crimes escaped from the prison library and stole a rowboat that was tied under the wharf. The inmates ultimately reached the mainland, but not before one of them had been wounded by a garrison soldier who was on guard at the military wharf. The inmates were able to paddle a considerable distance out, but when one of them missed a stroke, the splash attracted the sentry's attention. The soldier opened fire on the inmates and hit one of them, who dropped into the bottom of the boat screaming and moaning in pain. Another of the inmates stood up and shouted to the soldier, “Don't shoot anymore. Don't you see we've got no oars? We surrender!” The sentry stopped firing and briefly left his post to get assistance. Having succeeded with their clever ruse, the prisoners quickly pulled out their oars and rowed towards the mainland. A prison break alarm was sounded and the island’s five-oared boat was launched. The guards gave chase, but in spite of their best efforts, the prisoners got away. In another incident in 1884, two inmates stole a boat and rowed against the currents to the Marin shores. A sentry spotted the escapees but didn’t shoot and the inmates made a successful getaway.
In June of 1900 two inmates worked themselves through a chimney, and using a large section of lumber boarding as a float, they attempted to swim to the mainland. However, they got caught in a whirlpool and remained clinging to the log until they were rescued. In one example of remarkable ingenuity, four prisoners attempted to use a large butter vat as a boat and struggled to paddle the unstable vessel to the San Francisco shore. They were promptly captured when the currents proved too fierce. Other escape attempts involved forgeries of orders, disguises and cutting of bars. Several shooting deaths also resulted from attempted prison breaks. Each of these attempts displayed a certain amount of courage and desperation, coupled with the ingenuity born of constant contemplation under long years in confinement. The obsession of escaping Alcatraz was continuously evident throughout the prison’s history.
One of the more interesting escape-related incidents occurred in the fall of 1926, when a crowd of inmates allegedly plotted a mass prison break. Colonel G. Maury Crallé had recently taken over as Commandant of the Disciplinary Barracks, when rumors began to circulate among the military guards about the mammoth plot. The alleged plan was for all of the inmates who were at work outside of the cellhouse perimeter to rush on signal toward the water’s edge, and swim for San Francisco. From the prisoners’ viewpoint, the scheme had considerable merit, but Colonel Crallé made the decision to address the inmates before they could attempt any such action. He called all of the inmates working on the labor details into the parade ground area and stood with his back to San Francisco. None of the officers were armed, and Crallé spoke to the men in a soft tone. He explained that he had been made aware of a mass escape plot and he expressed his opinion of such a foolish strategy. “ GO AHEAD, SWIM!” he challenged, giving no indication that he would attempt to stop those who tried. He dared the men to make a run for the water and assured them that there would be no pursuit. However, he did calmly mention the hungry sharks that would surely attack the large groups of swimmers... and without a single incident; the inmates went back to work.
Colonel G. Maury Crallé.
Perhaps one of the best descriptions of the Military Prison was written in a presentation entitled: Definition and Operationby Major W.R. Stewart in 1930. Stewart wrote in part:
The mission of the United States Disciplinary Barracks is two-fold. First, rehabilitative, and second, punitive. Punishment by confinement at hard labor is not the paramount aim of such institutions. The reclamation of the convicted soldier for the Army and society is of equal importance... The Pacific Branch of the United States Disciplinary Barracks is located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Here, on this little island, some 600 soldiers are expiating their crimes. Their sentences range from six months to life imprisonment. Approximately 10 percent of them are serving sentences of ten years or more. Over one-third have been sentenced for military offenses, the remainder for misdemeanors and felonies.
The prisoners at this institution are subjected to a firm, impartial discipline. Misconduct and misbehavior result in punishment, good conduct is rewarded. The punishments are not cruel but consist of forfeiture of good conduct time, loss of privileges, and solitary confinement for a limited period. The punishment is made to fit the offense and for minor infractions of rules may be only a reprimand or the loss of one or more entertainments. Every infraction is recorded for each prisoner and this record is considered in making work assignments and in taking action on requests for parole, clemency, or restoration.