Summary and Analysis of Escape from Alcatraz: The True Crime Classic

Based on the Book by J. Campbell Bruce

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• Publisher: Worth Books
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781504044202
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Escape from Alcatraz tells you what you need to know—before or after you read J. Campbell Bruce's book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce includes:

• Historical context
• Chapter-by-chapter summaries
• Important quotes
• Fascinating trivia
• Glossary of terms
• Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work

About Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce: A true crime classic, Escape from Alcatraz recounts the history of the infamous prison on Alcatraz Island and the many men who risked their lives trying to escape it. Bruce's book brings to life the grim, gruesome conditions of life in lockup on Alcatraz, and the prisoners who lived there—from notorious gangster Al "Scarface" Capone to robber Frank Lee Morris, the architect of Alcatraz's most audacious escape. More than a tale of prison break, Escape from Alcatraz is a scathing indictment of a penal system that strives for dehumanization, rather than rehabilitation, of its prisoners. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

Summary

Chapter 1

On a stormy day in January 1960, Frank Lee Morris was brought in shackles to the supermax prison on Alcatraz Island. Almost immediately, he began casing the place, noticing guards’ positions and searching for security weaknesses in the famously escape-proof labyrinthine facility.

Need to Know: The handsome, well-mannered, and deeply intelligent Morris was keenly observant and coolly composed.

Chapter 2

The origins of Alcatraz Island are shrouded in mist—literally. The San Francisco Bay’s famous fog obscured the Golden Gate from seafaring explorers’ view for two centuries. In 1769, Don Gaspar de Portolá discovered the rocky mass that would become known as Alcatraz on an overland mission, during which he spied the island from a high peak. In 1775, Spanish scout Don Juan Manuel de Ayala led the first boat through the Golden Gate, naming the barren rock La Isla de los Alcatraces after the pelicans he saw there. He also named the neighboring island La Isla de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, now known simply as Angel Island.

Before anyone set foot on Alcatraz, the island changed hands from Spain to Mexico to the United States. With the Gold Rush came plans for a lighthouse and fortress to be used as a lookout and point from which to potentially engage any ships coming though the Golden Gate. Fort Alcatraz and Alcatraz Light were both completed in 1859. No enemy ships ever posed a threat, however, and the fort was obsolete in less than ten years.

Alcatraz housed a few Civil War prisoners, eventually leading to a new building, and in 1868, the upgraded fortress became a full-fledged incarceration facility for long-term military prisoners. In 1907, the penitentiary was converted into the Pacific Branch, United States Disciplinary Barracks—a place where men could earn reinstatement to military service if they proved their worth. Of those eligible men, 89 percent of prisoners returned to active service.

Need to Know: Barren, obscured by fog, and bordered by rocks, Alcatraz Island is an isolated, inaccessible location. With no running water of its own, it appears to have been largely unused by the native populations and the Spaniards. Geographically, it seemed almost destined to become the site of a prison.

Chapter 3

In 1933, Alcatraz was renovated to become a “superbastille,” designed to confine the violent gangsters of the Prohibition era. The idea was to separate the most notorious criminals from minor offenders who might be able to reassimilate as productive members of society one day.

The Justice Department assumed control of the facility in 1933, and Head Warden James A. Johnston was the architect of this transition. A veteran administrator of Folsom and San Quentin Prisons, he envisioned Alcatraz as an innovative and progressive approach to the penal system. He installed automatic locking devices, gunwalks, tear-gas outlets, and steel doors and enclosed the prison with a barbed-wire fence and guard-manned gun towers.

Strict disciplinary policies were also put in place, such as a rule of silence—absolutely no talking among inmates. Violators would land in the Dark Hole: a dungeon with dank, pitch-black cells where prisoners were chained up to keep them from digging out. The men were allowed out after nineteen days for a shower and a break, but often went right back into solitary. The thinking at the time was that the types of prisoners in Alcatraz were incapable of being rehabilitated, so they must simply be subjugated. This harsh reality was made clear to new arrivals right away: As part of the intake process, in order to remove any traces of dignity, prisoners were stripped naked before being led through the prison to their cells while other inmates watched.

Need to Know: The transition of Alcatraz from a military jail to a maximum-security prison came with a paradigm shift. The attitude that inmates might actually be reformed by their time in lockup was replaced by a concerted campaign to simply force them into obedience.

Chapter 4

In its new incarnation, Alcatraz was believed to be escape-proof—the strongest prison in the United States. As such, it became home to many infamous prisoners, especially notorious gangsters such as John Paul Chase, Machine Gun Kelly, Bugs Moran, and Al Capone, who were considered too dangerous to be housed in less secure facilities.

The gangsters found new vocations on The Rock. Chase became a painter, selling his work to benefit a cancer charity. Kelly took up bookkeeping and became a cobbler. Capone was likely the most famous prisoner on Alcatraz. He was used to manipulating other prisons in his favor, but on Devil’s Island, he worked in the laundry. The rule of silence was especially difficult for the boisterous Capone, and he repeatedly landed in solitary for talking. He was hated among the prisoners, for his wealth and for his gang activity on the outside, and so he hid among the prison orchestra, playing a $1,500 bejeweled banjo brought to him by his wife.

The hatred of Capone eventually led to some violent incidents: Chase hurled a sash-weight at his head and Tex Lucas stabbed him with a pair of...

Table of contents

• Title
• Disclaimer
• Contents
• Context
• Overview
• Summary
• Timeline
• Cast of Characters
• Direct Quotes and Analysis
• Trivia
• What’s That Word?
• About J. Campbell Bruce
• For Your Information
• Bibliography
• Copyright