Prison Alcatraz - an island from where they do not run away

It is safe to say that Al Capone was at the forefront of the gangster movement in America. It was he who founded a large-scale criminal business, which operated on the territory not only of Chicago, but also of New York, and also of other major cities. The last refuge of this world-famous criminal authority, which made a fortune on the alcohol trade during the "dry law", as well as on the arms trade and prostitution, was Alcatraz prison.

Located on a small island in the ocean waters near the American city of San Francisco, this institution of strict regime has a very long and interesting history of its development. Initially Alcatraz prison it was not even. In times of gold rush, the coast of North America began to be attacked by a huge number of emigrants, thirsting for gold. San Francisco was no exception. In order to protect its city and its inhabitants, the army erected a fortress, which was called Alcatraz (after the name of the island). It was this fortification structure that made it possible to protect the peace of the streets from encroachments by visiting gold prospectors.

After the desire to quickly enrich itself, the fortress lost its importance. Therefore, when the question arose of creating a fortified structure for criminals, the number of which increased dramatically during the Civil War in the US, the government, without hesitation, began to use for this purpose a former fortified fort. So there was prison Alcatraz.

During the First World War, prisoners of war were held here, who did not have a single opportunity to escape. With the passage of time, all of them were released.

However, the prison did not cease to exist: it only changed the contingent. The criminals who tried to escape from other correctional institutions were sent directly to Alcatraz. The prison wore fame of a tough and strict institution. One of its characteristic features was the almost complete impossibility of escape. Therefore, it is understandable that the government made every effort to conclude brutal and merciless criminals precisely in Alcatraz. San Francisco has never been a criminal city, which can not be said of Chicago and New York. It was these cities that were shaken by gang warfare, in which victims were civilians. After the bloody wars, the domination of one clan over another was established, people were dying, and Alcatraz prison enlarged its cells. So, the famous criminals who got into the walls of this prison were Al Capone, George the Machine gun and Robert Stroud, nicknamed "The Birdman."

In all respects, it was not possible to leave the prison safely: prisoners who decided to do this did not get to live on land. And only the only vague case in the history of Alcatraz, when the fate of the prisoners remained unclear, is the escape of Morris and the Engley brothers. Until now, no one knows what became of them, and whether they reached the shores of the city. This grandiose escape was the basis of the film "Escape from Alcatraz", the main role played by Clint Eastwood.

To date, the prison has been closed. Rather, it serves as a place for tourist excursions. A huge number of tourists visiting San Francisco, get to the island, where they can watch the life of the strictest prison in America.