The former prison on Alcatraz may appear benign from afar, says Tim Jepson, but in the flesh it is a chilling memorial to darker times.
Alcatraz had been a lighthouse, fort and military prison before it became a federal penitentiary in 1934 Photo: GETTY
Alcatraz was designed as the first 'super-prison' where rapists, murderers and vicious or extreme prisoners could be kept under one roof Photo: GETTY
The first surprise is how close it is to San Francisco Photo: GETTY
San Francisco is a tremendous city, and largely free of tacky tourist attractions, but I was certain one of its big draws – Alcatraz – would be unable to resist going down the Disney route, peddling a sanitised, Hollywood version of both prison and prison life.
The Bird Man of Alcatraz was one of my favorite books as a chid. He kept little birds in his cell. I think it was made into a film too.
ReplyDeletelouise
Louise: It was indeed a film starring Burt Lancaster.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I discovered a photo of me in my aviary in Hull Prison. Naturally, I was called the Birdman of Hull Prison!