Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

MaximumClosed 1963Low

Verified 29 May 2026

Fresh · 1mo ago

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

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How to send mail, money, and visit Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

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Photograph of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

Gallery

From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).

Photo by Yolanl via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Photo by Slyronit via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Slyronit via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Anthony J. Bentley via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Photo by Zann Cannon Goff via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo by Gianluca Cogoli via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Photo by General Services Administration. Public Buildings Service. via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by kevinmcgill from Den Bosch, Netherlands via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Background

United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (English: , Spanish: [alkaËtÉ¾as] "the gannet") or The Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. The site of a fort since the 1850s, the main prison building was built from 1910 to 1912 as a U.S. Army military prison. The United States Department of Justice acquired the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch, on Alcatraz on October 12, 1933. The island became adapted and used as a prison of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in August 1934 after the buildings were modernized and security increased. Given this high security and the island's location in the cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay, prison operators believed Alcatraz to be escape-proof and America's most secure prison.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Capacity

312

Current population

—

Occupancy

—

Year opened

1934

Closed 1963

Facility profile

Operator

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Population held

Mixed/unknown

Opened

1934

Region

—

Security level

Maximum

Death-row facility

Conditions

No conditions summary available yet.

Visiting

No visiting information available.

Mailing

No mailing information available.

Practical info

Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.

Known issues

No major issues documented in our database.

Notable inmates

Bernard Coy
1900–1946 · criminal
Allen West
1929–1978 · criminal
On the night of June 11, 1962, inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California, United States.
Al Capone
1899–1947 · gangster
Alphonse Gabriel Capone (, kÉ-POHN; Italian: [kaËpoËne]; January 17, 1899 â January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931.
John Anglin
1930–1962 · criminal
On the night of June 11, 1962, inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California, United States.
Clarence Anglin
1931–1962 · criminal
On the night of June 11, 1962, inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California, United States.
Mickey Cohen
1913–1976 · boxer
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen (September 4, 1913 â July 29, 1976) was an American mobster based in Los Angeles and boss of the Cohen crime family during the mid-20th century.
Arthur Barker
1899–1939 · criminal
Arthur Raymond "Doc" Barker (June 4, 1899 â January 13, 1939) was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang, founded by his brother Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis.
Machine Gun Kelly
1900–1954 · gangster
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 â July 18, 1954), better known by his nickname Machine Gun Kelly, was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era.
Whitey Bulger
1929–2018 · criminal
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr.