What It Was Like To Be An Inmate At Alcatraz

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  • Опубліковано 25 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 4 тис.

  • @Polymathically
    @Polymathically 5 років тому +7332

    I was lucky enough to sleep overnight on Alcatraz for a weekend. This was about 25 years ago, when I was in the Boy Scouts. We did some volunteer cleanup and got a private tour. That place is much, _much_ creepier at night after all the tourists leave. The fog rolls in, and you can't see the city anymore. It's like you're trapped in this little pocket of reality where nothing exists but the island. On the other hand, the audio tour is way more interesting when you don't have to deal with the crowds. We got to sleep in cells in Block D, but of course we brought our own sleeping bags. Looking back, that was such a great and unique experience.

    • @MP-Fin
      @MP-Fin 5 років тому +187

      Polymathically wow really? Sounds awesome. Been a scout for 21 years myself.

    • @MrProfessorLightyear
      @MrProfessorLightyear 5 років тому +66

      dope

    • @LilBleus
      @LilBleus 5 років тому +61

      Cool, I recently took a trip to San Francisco to tour alcatraz too.

    • @Lysergic_
      @Lysergic_ 5 років тому +21

      @@MP-Fin lmao

    • @Polymathically
      @Polymathically 5 років тому +141

      @deekat3279 No ghosts, but it's as creepy as you'd think an old, empty building/deserted island shrouded in fog in the middle of the night would be. I mean, it was well-lit and there were about a dozen of us, but still. It was like the setting for a slasher movie.

  • @williamjameslehy1341
    @williamjameslehy1341 5 років тому +10500

    Alcatraz was considered shockingly cruel and inhumane in its day, and yet it sounds like a 5 star resort compared to California's prison system of the early 21st Century.

    • @grantmclean4744
      @grantmclean4744 5 років тому +622

      100 times less likely to be raped or stabbed too.

    • @infamousElle
      @infamousElle 5 років тому +50

      Lies.

    • @canadianmoth
      @canadianmoth 5 років тому +34

      Haha no it wasnt

    • @sailingjacobe
      @sailingjacobe 5 років тому +32

      no it wasnt. Get your facts strait hoss.

    • @jessejive117
      @jessejive117 5 років тому +122

      Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili if you are caught stabbing or raping a prisoner in prison, you should be executed. There are so many cameras. Left wingers don’t actually like to punish people they want to let those rapist and murderer‘s in prison off with slaps on the wrist..:

  • @spaceman081447
    @spaceman081447 4 роки тому +3257

    During the early 2000s, I was on a tour of Alcatraz. I volunteered to spend a minute in "the hole" (solitary confinement). It was TOTALLY dark and quiet. It was "interesting", to say the least. I understand that some prisoners, to pass the time in the hole, would tear a button off their shirts, fling it randomly somewhere in the cell and spend much time feeling around trying to find that button.

    • @violet8248
      @violet8248 4 роки тому +416

      I visited there too and went into one of those cells for just a second. They didn’t close the door but I still almost had a panic attack just by being in there. I still swear to this day that I felt SOMETHING in there with me. I didn't see anything but there is definitely some bad energy left in that place at least.

    • @hulandanner8320
      @hulandanner8320 4 роки тому +45

      Jerry Graham named his testimony book, Where Flies Don’t Land. Based on time spent in the hole at San Quentin!

    • @forbiddentoast158
      @forbiddentoast158 4 роки тому +34

      rryrtetttèreŕeŕŕaterertwŕŕqqŕtwtqqqqqwtyayaayayaaaaggagaaaafffhdfhfhadfgvzcçcVhahaa6qqqäýryaughadfHfFHTyathhsffCHHCHçŔÀRHaŕyayařyaaaŕ6ar6qaþyaŕuaqqaŕuaŕùauua676q6qq6666a juujuauayyauuu8j7j7JJfuajù7qUaaaaùgŕgģyþygggug7g7g77g77ugvŕgvrvrvrvvrggrvgrvrvrfggrrrrhbtbrbrbbþhjjjjhjþjjtuutuuquauquaiaiaiaiajjakakajakajajakanananann7n77n77n7h7h7q7h7h7hq7h7hq7hq7y7qy77y7y7yq7y7y7g77bhuutut

    • @Quoteory
      @Quoteory 4 роки тому +168

      @@forbiddentoast158 you ok?

    • @JohnSmith47534
      @JohnSmith47534 4 роки тому +248

      @@Quoteory looks like the bad energy got to him

  • @renegaderick8804
    @renegaderick8804 4 роки тому +179

    Only one correction. The prisons tap put out warm water. This was done so that the prisoners adjusted to the warmth so that any escape attempt would be harder for them since the water surrounding the prison was freezing. Kudos to the person who came up with this. Shows they really put some thought into it and thought about the small details. For a time the prison didnt seem to be that bad but the living conditions seemed to rapidly decline in the later years.

    • @mandiemoore3272
      @mandiemoore3272 Рік тому +8

      I had read this years ago and documentary style paper that was written about the three people who might have successfully escaped although they were never found a live outside of Alcatraz you know the whole story I'm sure but yeah I did really remember hearing that they're never allowed to take cold showers so they don't get used to the cold water in the San Francisco Bay

    • @williethebaker6714
      @williethebaker6714 Рік тому

      ua-cam.com/video/BISs25VTdI4/v-deo.html

    • @heyitsvos
      @heyitsvos Рік тому +3

      Pretty clever and cool tidbit if true. I'm too lazy to research it myself 😂

    • @spingleboygle
      @spingleboygle Рік тому +1

      damn, good food AND warm water? alcatraz sounds better than the average public school!

    • @shatakshipandey8014
      @shatakshipandey8014 4 місяці тому +1

      You could just wait for the water to get cold to make the escape easy.

  • @MrBlitzpunk
    @MrBlitzpunk 5 років тому +2015

    Well that's actually not as bad as i was lead to believe.

    • @notafuckinpplperson8233
      @notafuckinpplperson8233 5 років тому +90

      Akram Safirul it was much worse. this was a terrible "history" film actually. he didn't even mention the "standing cells" it was a tiny cell where prisoners were locked in, in the standing position. so tiny that they couldn't even sit or turn. think of a gestation crate for humans. accept the pigs had it better in their gestation crates. they could at least move a few inches forward and back and actually lay down. this is 1 of many things that was left out from this video.

    • @kattberckley7811
      @kattberckley7811 5 років тому +40

      ...but dude... 24hrs in dark alone in solitary

    • @crazychashews
      @crazychashews 5 років тому +11

      @@kattberckley7811 breaking knees doesn't sound too fun either. neither sounds fun though, that's for sure.

    • @totallyfrozen
      @totallyfrozen 5 років тому +33

      NotAFuckinPplPerson
      Cite your source.
      The US Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment of citizens. Your tale is the first time I’ve heard of Alcatraz using this practice. It sounds more like something from the USSR or North Korea.

    • @MsTinkerbelle87
      @MsTinkerbelle87 5 років тому +2

      It was horrible! They probably don’t want to demonetization...

  • @iizg208
    @iizg208 5 років тому +2848

    “Their bodies where never found” sounds like they got away with it.

    • @angeliverson3884
      @angeliverson3884 5 років тому +140

      @Batman The Dark Knight even tho their stuff was found on shore and the next day someone had their car robbed by 3 men, dumbasd

    • @LilBleus
      @LilBleus 5 років тому +75

      Batman The Dark Knight there is no proof as to if they died or escaped, but they most likely died.

    • @kystars
      @kystars 5 років тому +71

      @Batman The Dark Knight wow you call him a name and we also see you know all the facts. The typical keyboard warrior

    • @MindOfSheesh
      @MindOfSheesh 5 років тому +20

      @Batman The Dark Knight Batman do some detective shit to see if they're still alive

    • @leeneale8776
      @leeneale8776 5 років тому +10

      @Batman The Dark Knight slight problem......no proof

  • @clonkers
    @clonkers 4 роки тому +3248

    this sounds like someone describing a home without wifi

  • @DRock1042
    @DRock1042 3 роки тому +55

    I bought Jim Quillen's book while meeting him at Alcatraz and he signed it for me. Very good read and an incredible story of him turning his life around. Nice guy, too.

  • @PavusthePug
    @PavusthePug 5 років тому +2780

    Access to doctors? Including to psychiatric help AND dental? They were living better than me as a college student in 2019.

    • @PavusthePug
      @PavusthePug 5 років тому +132

      @666LaVey666 Lying about what part? Being a college student, or not being able to afford basic health care? Because both 100% true.

    • @PavusthePug
      @PavusthePug 5 років тому +120

      @666LaVey666 You must be sooo fun at parties. I actually feel a little bad for you not being able to comprehend jokes.

    • @donnebes9421
      @donnebes9421 5 років тому +20

      Pavus The Pug snowflake.

    • @PavusthePug
      @PavusthePug 5 років тому +78

      @@donnebes9421 Ok boomer

    • @mrschuyler
      @mrschuyler 5 років тому +10

      @@PavusthePug That's short for "Would you like fries with that?"

  • @ashtray8167
    @ashtray8167 5 років тому +1404

    me: oh it had psychiatric hospice needs? cool!
    me: *realizes it was 1950s* oh

    • @dense_and_dull
      @dense_and_dull 4 роки тому +82

      My thoughts too! Can't imagine the psychiatric care had any positive effect...

    • @dense_and_dull
      @dense_and_dull 4 роки тому +31

      @Reddit tea Same, except I spent a year of my childhood in and out of hospitals. Had it been the 50's, I would have went in and never came out.

    • @Blake12354
      @Blake12354 4 роки тому +4

      To quote family guy “they whip em with hoses, outside!”

    • @JGDECOR
      @JGDECOR 4 роки тому +3

      “ “

    • @iriss9146
      @iriss9146 3 роки тому +6

      My grandmother had electric shock therapy for depression in the late 50s, she’s 90 now but she always been a lil fucked from it

  • @rickkinki4624
    @rickkinki4624 4 роки тому +1086

    I met Jim Quilan on the Island, years after his release, and he autographed his book for me. He was a very interesting character, not nearly the bad guy most of the inmates were. He'd robbed a post office in an effort to obtain money to feed his sister, and everything went wrong.

    • @jamessaculla9593
      @jamessaculla9593 4 роки тому +141

      I met him there also. He was a kind man who spoke to everyone and answered all questions. I bought his book and he autographed it too. Sadly,he's no longer with us.

    • @adinace
      @adinace 4 роки тому +26

      Almost sounds like the real life Jean Valjean

    • @davidmmm8
      @davidmmm8 4 роки тому +9

      You just can’t steal stuff anymore.... Cameras everywhere.

    • @gamerxd6149
      @gamerxd6149 4 роки тому

      Ready for the hot seat? Reebok X Hot Ones. AVAILABLE 11/19

    • @shredcycles2003
      @shredcycles2003 3 роки тому +5

      @@davidmmm8 nah man still posible 😏

  • @PointyTailofSatan
    @PointyTailofSatan 3 роки тому +55

    Anyone interested in this has to find a copy of "On the Rock" by Alvin Karpis. He was a former Public Enemy #1, and was the head of the infamous Ma Barker gang. He was also a criminal genius. He was at Alcatraz for 26 years, and his book is an amazing history of all the other famous criminals also locked up at Alcatraz, the various escape attempts, and the day to day life at the prison.

    • @ambriellemason9372
      @ambriellemason9372 2 роки тому

      I was in Alcatraz

    • @deemz312
      @deemz312 2 роки тому +2

      must of not been much of a criminal genius if he was in Alcatraz

    • @ostrich67
      @ostrich67 2 роки тому +1

      @@deemz312 Everyone gets pinched.

    • @deemz312
      @deemz312 2 роки тому

      @@ostrich67 that is so far from true.

  • @shesaknitter
    @shesaknitter 5 років тому +143

    I did the Alcatraz tour many years ago and it was fascinating. One thing I remember them telling us was that the food was so good because they wanted to avoid riots. One easy path to riots is feeding hundreds of potentially violent men poor food.

    • @sashamoore9691
      @sashamoore9691 2 роки тому +7

      Glad they don’t do that anymore. They deserve to eat shut every day

    • @BlueFlash215
      @BlueFlash215 Рік тому +11

      @@sashamoore9691 You can see the wealth and culture of a country by looking how they treat their inmates.

    • @chromicapop4595
      @chromicapop4595 2 місяці тому

      Yes😂

  • @micahvr
    @micahvr 5 років тому +2290

    u forgot about the part where u ended up fighting zombies

    • @Tom-qp6oh
      @Tom-qp6oh 5 років тому +26

      I play the Battle of Alcatraz on my PS4 everyday! I usually land at the water tower.

    • @billygunn4884
      @billygunn4884 5 років тому +107

      I hope you mean mob of the dead oh man was that fun

    • @jahjahbinks5992
      @jahjahbinks5992 5 років тому +11

      Tom D battle of alcatraz huh?

    • @Tom-qp6oh
      @Tom-qp6oh 5 років тому +14

      @@jahjahbinks5992 Black Ops 4 blackout has an Alcatraz Battle Royale mode. It's Awesome!

    • @jaredl47
      @jaredl47 5 років тому +13

      Mob of the dead and blood of the dead

  • @KateRambo
    @KateRambo 5 років тому +1129

    The Battle of Alcatraz is probably the greatest prison siege that ever occurred.

    • @KateRambo
      @KateRambo 5 років тому +48

      Keyser Sozie That’s your opinion but whereas Attica was about prison reformation and included a lot more people, Alcatraz was more about escaping the island. I find it more interesting, personally.

    • @miklosernoehazy8678
      @miklosernoehazy8678 5 років тому +22

      ...check out the made for TV movie "Six Against The Rock" starring David Carridine (it was made in the late 1980's, and you can find it on UA-cam)...
      ...I was an extra playing one of the convicts...
      ...I can be seen pretty clearly, although in passing, in a couple of shots of a work detail line-up...
      ...it was a very cool experience getting to meet David Carridine, Jan-Micheal Vincent, and Howard Hesseman (better known as Dr. Johnny Fever from "WKRP in Cincinnati")...

    • @KateRambo
      @KateRambo 5 років тому +10

      Miklos Ernoehazy really enjoy that movie, bet it was fun to behind the scenes on it!

    • @ellieperry4194
      @ellieperry4194 5 років тому +3

      Miklos Ernoehazy Wow that sounds super fun and interesting thing to do

    • @brunoglopes
      @brunoglopes 5 років тому +4

      Look up the Carandiru Massacre.
      Edit: I don’t know if it was greater than the Alcatraz riot, but you’ll certainly find it interesting (and sad).

  • @Yogagirl9935
    @Yogagirl9935 2 роки тому +38

    I’ve visited & read several books about Alcatraz. Both written by former inmates or guards or children of guards that lived on the island. It’s interesting how some of the inmates really turned their lives around & later lived productive lives, while some, by their language in their book, etc, still had the mentality of a convict. Probably the best book I’ve read was “Alcatraz Screw” (term for a guard) who worked there for several years, while he went to school to be a chiropractor. I felt that his experience there was well written and informative.

    • @Roxana_Official
      @Roxana_Official 4 місяці тому

      Have you also found out how much did the guards made? because of the so difficult job?

  • @sillygooselol2757
    @sillygooselol2757 5 років тому +2393

    Funny how prisons are better then homeless shelters

    • @JeffersonSteelflexx
      @JeffersonSteelflexx 5 років тому +52

      TheAmazingEmily 11 sure but a lot more dangerous and intimidating for the most part

    • @babalon7778
      @babalon7778 5 років тому +93

      @@JeffersonSteelflexx That depends on the shelter, seriously. There's a reason why most homeless people don't want to go to them.

    • @notsosilentmajority1
      @notsosilentmajority1 5 років тому +39

      It's a shame that we need so many of both. We didn't have near as many homeless shelters when I was a kid. There was the YMCA and some "soup kitchens" but the homeless problem was not so big. The closing of a great number of government mental hospitals and the insurgence of illegal drugs has made everything worse. Too many of the homeless people have legitimate mental conditions and drugs just make everything worse.

    • @capybun
      @capybun 5 років тому +26

      @@bernardoserrano480 wow people choose to be homeless? RIP logic

    • @ormancadam6453
      @ormancadam6453 5 років тому +9

      So it makes sense to commit a crime for a homeless dude.

  • @Bigfoot_With_Internet_Access
    @Bigfoot_With_Internet_Access 5 років тому +744

    I'm glad I just live way out here in the woods, I'd hate be locked up somewhere like that

    • @anewspinonthings
      @anewspinonthings 5 років тому +118

      Your comment had me confused untill I looked at your name

    • @JamesLee-lk4kx
      @JamesLee-lk4kx 5 років тому +14

      You have the right idea brother.id like to live in the woods away from everyone myself,and self sustain.

    • @moderndaywyattearp5792
      @moderndaywyattearp5792 5 років тому +52

      Sorry about my dad hitting you with our station wagon. Glad to see you’re doing good.

    • @jimmyshrimbe9361
      @jimmyshrimbe9361 5 років тому

      Just Some Bigfoot With Internet Access could you block me, please?

    • @krishnaswainpiano4129
      @krishnaswainpiano4129 5 років тому

      Omg ur real!

  • @emapple8298
    @emapple8298 5 років тому +6532

    interesting how prisoners get better food than students in public schools

    • @saquancarpenter6612
      @saquancarpenter6612 5 років тому +210

      FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT TY

    • @infamousElle
      @infamousElle 5 років тому +232

      That is a lie. Better than normal prison food doesn't mean GOOD food.

    • @alejandroleguizamo7722
      @alejandroleguizamo7722 5 років тому +156

      EmDrew Appleby That was decades ago as well. Current prison food is horrible (I used to work in one), makes the whole place smell of old boiled cabbage.

    • @joncrazy4132
      @joncrazy4132 5 років тому +62

      😂😂😂😂😂 CLEARLY you've never been incarcerated!!! Better lower ur expectations by a million if u ever find urself going!! To mention to cpl reasons: weirdo "lunch-MEN" don't serve the food at a school right after they stir ur instant mashed potatoes with their PERSONAL "sausage" after adding their personal special sause! And forget easily getting 2 plates. Can't even get fresh milk much less chocolate milk! Only powered milk! Don't bother "suitcasing" some change for ice cream cuz it dont exsist in there either. Can't bring ur own lunch! Chow hall is most likely place to get stabbed! And I could go on and on an ON!!

    • @alejandroleguizamo7722
      @alejandroleguizamo7722 5 років тому +14

      @Dave Pawson - What do you think of Norwegian prisons (google them). What do you think would be the impact of doing something like that here in the U.S., regardless of whether it could happen or not?

  • @jerlewis4291
    @jerlewis4291 9 місяців тому +5

    Had an uncle that was a guard there for many years. He said one of the things that no one talks about is that many nights it you could smell food from San Fransisco, especially the Ghirardelli factory. Sid it drove the prisoners nuts. Also, you were not allowed to work out in any way during your yard time, no running, no weights, all you could do was walk around. After 4 weeks there most guys were already starting to get soft. And that is why they dit it. He said no one ever went crazy, most prisoners accepted their fate and knew of one too many people that the Rock broke. Years later he was at a birthday party and a guy came up who was a former prisoner and they talked. He said being at Alcatraz made him legendary to people. They were both in note Army at Schofield Barracks it turns out, my uncle was with an Infantry Platoon and the other guy was a finance clerk.. The guy told my uncle that he was in the Disciplinary Barracks at Schofield and compared to that Alcatraz was a walk in the park.

  • @xotl2780
    @xotl2780 4 роки тому +1938

    Those three inmates (the Anglin Brothers + Frank Morris) definitely lived to see another sunrise btw.

    • @rexlint2520
      @rexlint2520 4 роки тому +284

      Oh I guarantee you that they lived as free men for a long time after they escaped. But the entire thing has been covered up. They don't want people to know the truth

    • @starmorpheus
      @starmorpheus 4 роки тому +63

      What's your proof of that?

    • @rexlint2520
      @rexlint2520 4 роки тому +41

      @@starmorpheus do some research.

    • @bimobop
      @bimobop 4 роки тому +48

      @@rexlint2520 lol I dont feel like proving it just google conspiracy theories

    • @xotl2780
      @xotl2780 4 роки тому +54

      @@rexlint2520 All of the information that could lead people to the conclusion I put forth is in the public domain. The only consideration the government gives this case at all at this point is to leave it open until 50 years has passed since the escape incident, at which point all of them are sure to be pretty damn dead, if they aren't somehow yet pretty damn dead.

  • @saucejohnson9862
    @saucejohnson9862 5 років тому +302

    Damn, as notorious as the name is, Alcatraz seemed better than most prisons, even today.

    • @hoodie4439
      @hoodie4439 4 роки тому +4

      @ShadowAngel well... yeah but i don't think a theif should go through 21st century American prisons

    • @Littlemeast12Animations
      @Littlemeast12Animations 4 роки тому +5

      It feeds prisoners better than schools feed students

    • @void-xt8pw
      @void-xt8pw 4 роки тому +6

      @ShadowAngel Prisons should not be about punishment but reform. Finland has a very humane prison system where prisoners aren't literally abused daily and compared to other countries there rearrest rate is pretty low.

    • @gagetaylor192
      @gagetaylor192 4 роки тому +3

      @ShadowAngel Causing everybody who goes to prison suffering means you're causing pain and torture to all kinds of people who aren't necessarily bad. Some people get falsely convicted, others make a stupid mistake, some get locked up trying to put food on the table. Not everybody who goes to prison is a child rapist or a serial murderer. Prison should be about reform. To hopefully mold people so they can have a second chance in life that everybody deserves. You know what prison does right now? Turns all of those once innocent people into even worse criminals than before they went in. Most prisons you're forced to associate yourself with bad people to have your back and you have to learn to fight for your life. Why does somebody who only ever sold drugs or something deserve that?

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому

      Alcatraces is Spanish for pelicans who inhabited the island. I guess it didn't sound so awfully scary to tell a prisoner I am sending you to the "Pelicans"! If you misbehave, you will have to help the "Birdman" feed them. Guess that's why the name change! Norma Jean Morrissey

  • @kaptenblod6877
    @kaptenblod6877 4 роки тому +949

    I seriousely read: What it was like to be intimate at Alcatraz.

    • @CashelOConnolly
      @CashelOConnolly 4 роки тому +27

      I’m sure that happened too

    • @anniebellemiller2986
      @anniebellemiller2986 4 роки тому +36

      Don't drop the soap!

    • @spencer6874
      @spencer6874 4 роки тому

      ??

    • @debbieschultz9768
      @debbieschultz9768 4 роки тому +5

      It was far from being a picnic!

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +8

      Kapten It would be a bit difficult to be "INTIMATE" in Alcatraz. Remember each man had his own cell!! Of course there is always shower time & dropping the soap.♡♡ NJM

  • @DeniseFactor
    @DeniseFactor 8 місяців тому +5

    Alcatraz had a gift shop when my girlfriend and I visited in 1993. Not only that but Jim Quillen, showed and mentioned in this video, was actually there signing copies of his book. He was obviously an old man by this time and had known freedom for quite some time.

  • @monicapyle
    @monicapyle 5 років тому +384

    The band idea is great. Music can often be a soothing hobby. I'd much rather inmates pick up instruments instead of picking up weights.

    • @Jack.Martson
      @Jack.Martson 5 років тому +8

      Ms.MonicaPyle music is the way of life and what helps people get together sometimes

    • @monicapyle
      @monicapyle 5 років тому +8

      @@Jack.Martson I agree. My father was a music teacher for 42 years and I play a couple of instruments myself.

    • @Lysergic_
      @Lysergic_ 5 років тому +4

      @666LaVey666 "Just because i do not believe anyone deserves to die, doesn't mean i wouldn't kill you if you give me a reason to do so" actually that's exactly what it means. If someone gives you a reason to kill them, then they deserve to die. But you also think nobody deserves to die. Also stop trying to take the moral high ground when you're stooping below the other commentors level by insulting their dead brother. Also because you kept acting like that you also make me realize that you yourself are the scumbag.
      "You pretty much lumped inmates as a whole AND NOT specific to Alcatraz inmates" no actually he did refer to alcatraz, considering that this video was about alcatraz. It's not hard to realize the context of something if you use critical thinking.

    • @specializedchemicals6669
      @specializedchemicals6669 5 років тому +2

      This thread is just full of toxic people. Get some help.
      The only good one in this thread is Frank.

    • @rickeydart3040
      @rickeydart3040 5 років тому +2

      Frank is literally the only one I like here.

  • @Seventeen_Syllables
    @Seventeen_Syllables 5 років тому +37

    I visited Alcatraz in the early '90s, and met Mr. Quillen while there. He had written a book about the place "Alcatraz from Inside", and was onsite selling it as part of some program. I bought a copy, and Mr. Quillen signed it. We had a few minutes to chat. I had been in the Navy for some time, and knew that it was fairly common for sailors to hate their ship while on it, but afterwards would become a proud former crew member. So I asked Mr. Quillen if there was a similar phenomenon among Alcatraz alumni. He said no, and went on to deny ever going to the actual prison after being discharged. The book event was in the gift shop, outside the prison proper, so I had no reason to disbelieve him, until I read the book and saw pictures of him showing off various parts of the prison for the book. So with that one exception I suppose. The few minutes that we spent talking led me to believe that Mr. Quillen and I had virtually nothing in common, and most likely would never become friends under any circumstances. He was a kidnapper, and never denied that he was a hardened criminal. I suspect that most of the men there would be equally difficult to form a friendship with.

  • @willaandrews7283
    @willaandrews7283 4 роки тому +325

    “A big red bridge and an abandoned prison” yep, sounds about right

    • @joshuaroe1402
      @joshuaroe1402 4 роки тому +10

      Well the rest of the city is just piles of human waste and used needles so....yeah.

    • @misterrickyg
      @misterrickyg 4 роки тому +1

      😀

    • @ourtime-downhere6931
      @ourtime-downhere6931 4 роки тому +4

      Jacob Murphy Sadly, that's not far off. I went there again several months ago and was surprised. I didn't remember it being that bad when I was younger but maybe I just didn't notice. Now a ton of them have come up to my hometown of Portland and it's become a complete shit hole as well, we ended up moving across the river to get out.

    • @bloodyraptor6251
      @bloodyraptor6251 4 роки тому +2

      @@joshuaroe1402 and 1,000,000 dollar studios

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +2

      I guess that means Goldengate Bridge and Alcatraz (Pelican Island) Norma Jean

  • @philpreston6406
    @philpreston6406 3 роки тому +179

    I went to the united states in 2008, and visited Alcatraz. It affected me - looking at those tiny cells. I tried to imagine, how incredibly hard, it must have been to stay sane. The isolation, and discipline enforced, obviously took its toll on quite a few prisoners.

    • @drydesert8036
      @drydesert8036 3 роки тому +2

      Wow if only our inner city kids could see the inside of prisons and visit with knowledgeable inmates wanting to help keep at least one child out off trouble and jail/prison. I think there are already programs doing something like this already. Save a kid today, saves a adult later... Just Hoping And Praying.

    • @gradycole3987
      @gradycole3987 2 роки тому +7

      @@drydesert8036 truly a bad take

    • @nahjaealcorn7011
      @nahjaealcorn7011 2 роки тому +4

      @@drydesert8036 you missed the whole point..

    • @zeebee3606
      @zeebee3606 2 роки тому

      @Phil Preston
      Hey man hope ur doin alright 🙏 I know coming to the states n taking an alcatraz tour can deeply affect even the strongest of ppl, but I won't even pretend to understand what u went thru that day. I got bundles of gud vibez headed ur way right now. Take care and thank u for the metaphorical martyrdom u performed 😢

    • @BlueFlash215
      @BlueFlash215 Рік тому +1

      @@drydesert8036 it doesn't work that way

  • @CTcuber4K
    @CTcuber4K 5 років тому +1798

    But how did the inmates survive with all the zombies running around and the warden spawning every 5 rounds.
    edit: so do comments normally have a second wave, this capped at around 300 likes for so long and in the passed week started going up again? maybe youtube randomly recommended this to a bunch of people again.

    • @TheWeasel813
      @TheWeasel813 5 років тому +79

      CTCuberHD they got the ray gun and blundergat

    • @pewnewsgloria6749
      @pewnewsgloria6749 5 років тому +29

      They tried building a plan but it crashed on a bridge

    • @ivy8858
      @ivy8858 4 роки тому +18

      LMAO I was hoping someone could say something about cod

    • @Jonjs99
      @Jonjs99 4 роки тому +3

      you are stupid

    • @Postshamone
      @Postshamone 4 роки тому +4

      😂

  • @highoctanegames
    @highoctanegames 4 роки тому +384

    The thing is, that an inmate that went here can realistically alive, if it was in the early 1960s and they were in their 20s, they would be in their 70s-80s

    • @elbuki4006
      @elbuki4006 4 роки тому +13

      No way after being in this jail, they wouldn't be good enough mentally to last in its 70's

    • @highoctanegames
      @highoctanegames 4 роки тому +27

      @@elbuki4006 Well it's possible

    • @highoctanegames
      @highoctanegames 4 роки тому

      @UCCgheTXFjaI5jodpfujznsA interesting

    • @jessicagonzalez_1995
      @jessicagonzalez_1995 4 роки тому +34

      El Buki actually I went on an Alcatraz tour a few years ago and a former inmate was there doing a book signing. His name is William G. Baker. Pretty cool experience

    • @highoctanegames
      @highoctanegames 4 роки тому +3

      @@jessicagonzalez_1995 definitely

  • @Mephitinae
    @Mephitinae 5 років тому +418

    You can read books in your own room all day, nobody speaks a word, and you get 3 free meals a day? Damn, this sounds way better than any school I went to!

    • @Mephitinae
      @Mephitinae 5 років тому +18

      @666LaVey666 Okay sure, take me to the nearest time machine and let's go to the 1930's

    • @NukaCola6962
      @NukaCola6962 5 років тому +12

      The foods sounds better and probably taste better then my school food. I do want to go to one restaurant that serves exact meals from Alcatraz

    • @yeegageega5292
      @yeegageega5292 5 років тому +4

      @666LaVey666 = clown

    • @cosmoseer1834
      @cosmoseer1834 4 роки тому

      That is if you were good. You forgot they worked also.

    • @toogaytolift9176
      @toogaytolift9176 4 роки тому +2

      @666LaVey666 stfu incel

  • @JoeyVSupreme
    @JoeyVSupreme 4 роки тому +17

    The tour is absolutely worth going. I remember a part of the narration, I think by the Birdman, who said that every New Years, in the southwest corner cells, at least one person would lose their minds.
    You can absolutely hear and see San Francisco from that corner, and the Yatch Club always had their New Years party. And you could hear the bands always playing and fireworks. Imagine being stuck in one of the most isolated prisons ever, and hearing people party and be happy.

  • @rocketsauce8099
    @rocketsauce8099 5 років тому +2170

    Title should be: "Narrator reads the whole Alcatraz Wikipedia page".

    • @aryanna9023
      @aryanna9023 5 років тому +491

      RocketSauce well where is he supposed to get the information? I’d rather him read it to me then read it myself.

    • @noir5124
      @noir5124 5 років тому +79

      aryanna LMAOOOO

    • @backinblood3218
      @backinblood3218 5 років тому +41

      aryanna exactly

    • @rocketsauce8099
      @rocketsauce8099 5 років тому +201

      That wasn't my point. I don't have a problem with him getting information from Wikipedia, just that he makes a video out of it without adding anything else. It just feels like a 3rd grade fact-listing presentation.

    • @backinblood3218
      @backinblood3218 5 років тому +68

      RocketSauce it sounds like you did have a problem with it. Otherwise you wouldn’t have pointed it out. But I see what your saying

  • @BeefBroccol1
    @BeefBroccol1 5 років тому +193

    This sounds like a private school

    • @jinhitentertainment2040
      @jinhitentertainment2040 4 роки тому +7

      No not at all I go to one it’s not fun

    • @Donny_Juanny
      @Donny_Juanny 3 роки тому

      I went to boarding school. It was awesome. Smoked a LOT of weed and got to "lay" with the ladies ALL the time. Best years of my life!

  • @aloismann8675
    @aloismann8675 5 років тому +370

    How about a "what it was like to be a Samurai"

    • @cartoonken5060
      @cartoonken5060 5 років тому +2

      you had a sword and killed people?

    • @achxd
      @achxd 5 років тому +8

      @Batman The Dark Knight how does that make him wish to be Japanese??
      how can you be this stupid

    • @Funnyvideocomp
      @Funnyvideocomp 5 років тому

      @@achxd facts

    • @aminyashed8116
      @aminyashed8116 5 років тому +3

      @@cartoonken5060 you can be interested in Japanese history without being a weeb

    • @cartoonken5060
      @cartoonken5060 5 років тому +3

      Batman The Dark Knight that’s like someone asking “what was it like to be a german during WWII?” and you call him a nazi

  • @sonnycorleone4964
    @sonnycorleone4964 4 роки тому +26

    Thank you for showing us the history , violence and action scenes of Alcatraz...Instead of just showing a narrator's face just talking about it. Most of the audience appreciates that.

  • @quartzboye
    @quartzboye 5 років тому +581

    The food was of course better then any food at any public school. : |

    • @leeroykd1238
      @leeroykd1238 5 років тому +44

      Funny how the government treated the criminals better than the homeless and poors

    • @bellamaster6876
      @bellamaster6876 5 років тому +4

      It seems way better

    • @Ares-jn7cl
      @Ares-jn7cl 5 років тому +7

      I think it's because the cooks were also inmates there, so they could really pour their heart and soul into it.

    • @annaji4
      @annaji4 5 років тому +18

      The food was only good because it insured there would be no riots. But even now prison food is better than school food because the government in the U.S spends more funds on prison than school

    • @jo.4566
      @jo.4566 5 років тому +8

      Wait you guys get lunch at public schools?

  • @Mondo762
    @Mondo762 5 років тому +191

    Alcatraz was an Army prison going back to pre-Civil War times.

    • @ancjentkxng3394
      @ancjentkxng3394 5 років тому +3

      Wabi Sabi ok boomer

    • @Mondo762
      @Mondo762 5 років тому +21

      @@ancjentkxng3394 OK Stupid

    • @jessejive117
      @jessejive117 5 років тому +14

      Ancjent Kxng Dude please don’t come here and be an idiot. Don’t insult people just for stating a historical fact. That’s just what bullies do you try and put other people down to feel better about themselves, and you aren’t even using the meme properly. It’s to be use when someone says something like, all the music now sucks for all the movies now suck with all their special effects. Or music has too many computer sounds it sucks. Then you called him a Boomer. Someone stating a fact about the Civil War or World War II on a video there’s about history is not when you use that it makes you look stupid

    • @scoutskills3584
      @scoutskills3584 5 років тому

      Ancjent Kxng ok boomer

    • @ancjentkxng3394
      @ancjentkxng3394 5 років тому

      Jesse Collins ok boomer

  • @niki7716
    @niki7716 4 роки тому +129

    I stood inside one of those solitary cells when I was there. If I put out both of my arms to either side of me, I could essentially touch the door to the back wall. Imagine the darkness, in this small crate of a cell.

    • @davidcopson5800
      @davidcopson5800 4 роки тому +3

      I'd rather not.

    • @Johnny-lr5jt
      @Johnny-lr5jt 4 роки тому +1

      I would be more concerned about the innocent victims of the crimes they committed. But hey, that's just me.

    • @juancarlosnegron2358
      @juancarlosnegron2358 2 роки тому

      Been there done that.

  • @OPERATIONSAMUELINCIDENTKANDAKH
    @OPERATIONSAMUELINCIDENTKANDAKH 4 місяці тому +3

    The Coast Guard reported finding one of the prisoners’ paddles on 14th June off the south coast of Angel Island and workers found a wallet containing details of the Anglins the same day. Six days later, shredded rubber believed to be from the prisoners’ raft was washed up on the shore near the Golden Gate Bridge; the following day a deflated life jacket was picked up by a prison boat floating fifty yards from Alcatraz Island. These scattered remnants were all that was ever recovered of the men and the tools they’d used to escape. Despite no bodies being found, the FBI quickly concluded that the three prisoners had drowned.
    From the first year of the men’s escape right up until the present day, there have been plenty of people who say the FBI was wrong to pronounce the men dead. As early as Christmas 1962, various members of the Anglin family claimed they received cards and postcards from the brothers. The two men’s mother received a bunch of flowers sent to her anonymously every year up until her death in 1973, and her funeral was allegedly attended by two unusually tall
    men wearing heavy makeup. Family members believe they were John and Clarence Anglin attending in disguise. ⛓️

  • @mr.personhumanson6871
    @mr.personhumanson6871 5 років тому +65

    Al Capone auditioned for a position in the Alcatraz band by playing the rusty trombone on the warden, who was delighted by his performance.

  • @slydemise5349
    @slydemise5349 5 років тому +75

    My great uncle, Johnnie Lamar Hall #1404 said it was the best prison he'd ever been to.
    The man broke out of every prison you could possibly think of and was possible he gave the Anglin brothers details on how to escape.
    He's still alive today and lives in Georgia.

    • @robison87
      @robison87 5 років тому +6

      Ask him how much gay sex there was there and let me know.

    • @chillandniceguy1645
      @chillandniceguy1645 5 років тому +1

      robison87 uuuuhhhh

    • @slydemise5349
      @slydemise5349 5 років тому

      @@chillandniceguy1645 right lolol

    • @gainchung4296
      @gainchung4296 5 років тому +1

      Wow really?

    • @slydemise5349
      @slydemise5349 5 років тому +8

      @@robison87 sucks to say, but I know for a fact a lot of those guys in that generation were a little more on the homophobic and racist side of things. Him less so, he just preferred not to be around people he thought were gay. So unlikely any gay stuff from him.

  • @buildtherobots
    @buildtherobots 5 років тому +70

    There is, or at least used to be, a program that allowed groups to stay on the island overnight in the D-block section and get a special in-depth tour to areas in the prison not available to regular tour groups. The catch is that the group pays a fee for the salary of the park ranger who stays on the island overnight with your group. Also you have to do a service project while you're there, usually a few hours spent cleaning to help maintain the monument. The groups were chosen by lottery and I was lucky enough to be in one of the groups that got picked. It was a group made up of the local girl scout and boy scout troops. We got to tour the hospital upstairs and the workhouse on the other end of the island. Overnight we stayed in individual cells on D-block and could choose to set up a sleeping bag in "the hole" if we were feeling adventurous. When the windows were open you could hear the sound of the city and see the lights. I would imagine that being incarcerated there with such a monotonous routine and being able to hear and see freedom but not get to it would be maddening.

    • @conniecrawford5231
      @conniecrawford5231 4 роки тому +2

      buildtherobots This is a serious question - where were the toilets for overnight guests? I hope you didn’t have to use the cell toilets? What about shower facilities? It sounds like scouts and student groups would enjoy the unique experience.

    • @MrScorpianwarrior
      @MrScorpianwarrior 4 роки тому +1

      In the comments above this one, a guy named Polymathically said the same thing! Were you guys at the prison at the same time per chance?

    • @buildtherobots
      @buildtherobots 4 роки тому +3

      @@conniecrawford5231 the toilets inside the cells were filled in with cement. We weren't there long enough to need to shower. The bathroom available to us was a modern national park single occupancy building just outside of the main entrance to the prison. It was the same bathroom that park visitors used during the day.

    • @buildtherobots
      @buildtherobots 4 роки тому +4

      @@MrScorpianwarrior I just saw Polymathically's comment. There is a chance that we were there at the same time. I was there with Girl Scout Troop 270 and the Boy Scouts were Troop 1, both out of the Napa Valley. To my knowledge the park had several weekends where they allowed service groups to apply to come stay over and do a service project. There were more applications than there were slots to stay so they chose the groups by lottery.

    • @MrScorpianwarrior
      @MrScorpianwarrior 4 роки тому

      @@buildtherobots Oh, well cool anyway! Definitely a unique experience.

  • @kevin-jg5nq
    @kevin-jg5nq 2 роки тому +41

    My wife and I visited Alcatraz in 2021. It was both fascinating and spooky and we nearly froze on the boat trip to the island.

  • @FeedMeSalt
    @FeedMeSalt 4 роки тому +247

    "Bodies never found, but they didn't make it to shore"
    I mean, if you didn't find a body you don't know for sure, these men have nothing but cardio all day everyday.
    And long distance swimmers have done it.

    • @cavlizzy
      @cavlizzy 4 роки тому +19

      It is believed that the 3 men that escaped in 1962 survived! As of 2018 only one was still alive and had cancer. (John Anglin) The other 2 died a few years before. (this info can be googled)

    • @Lolpy.
      @Lolpy. 4 роки тому +28

      I feel like either the FBI doesn’t want to admit that they got away, or, they really just don’t have compelling evidence. Personally, I think they got away.

    • @GodofWarChuka
      @GodofWarChuka 4 роки тому +3

      Escape from Alcatraz was a good movie with Clint Eastwood. I didn’t know it was a true story until later. Just thought it was Fiction at first. Interesting.

    • @provthegoat7780
      @provthegoat7780 4 роки тому +3

      Turned into zombies man

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому

      True!

  • @cellblocknine5385
    @cellblocknine5385 5 років тому +78

    I heard people actually wanted to be a prisoner at Alcatraz because they got their own cells and there were lots of activities for them do fill their days with

    • @CraigFThompson
      @CraigFThompson 7 місяців тому

      In federal prison you CAN request a single-occupant cell....
      In state, you can request a single cell if only you're older than 55.

  • @Tatiana-by4oq
    @Tatiana-by4oq 4 роки тому +42

    This is one of the best narrative documentaries I've seen of Alcatraz. All the other videos are all the same thing over and over, this one gives us much more information. thank you for a great video!

  • @allninelivez7631
    @allninelivez7631 4 роки тому +318

    Me: *goes to Alcatraz*
    Random Announcer: "Fetch me their SOULS!"

    • @kurros1270
      @kurros1270 4 роки тому +21

      *Brutus has entered the server*

    • @thebigiron6110
      @thebigiron6110 3 роки тому +2

      *pulls out revolver*

    • @ralphlorenzperolino3054
      @ralphlorenzperolino3054 3 роки тому +5

      Blood of The Dead in a nutshell

    • @Neglected-Nostalgia
      @Neglected-Nostalgia 3 роки тому +6

      @@ralphlorenzperolino3054 Back in my day, we called it "Mob of the dead"

    • @ralphlorenzperolino3054
      @ralphlorenzperolino3054 3 роки тому +1

      @Shawn Pha9 It's in Black Ops 4. Mob of The Dead didn't have any hellhounds and wasn't part of the Aether story until Blood of The Dead came where the Primis crew ventured the prison and hellhounds have appeared.

  • @MegaJared2
    @MegaJared2 4 роки тому +180

    I remember in high school our history teacher had us do a huge project/report on any decade of our choosing. I chose the 60s, and boy was it interesting. Lol. Learned a lot about the escape from Alcatraz

    • @amberjones9520
      @amberjones9520 3 роки тому +5

      My mom was born in 1960 and i was always jealous that she got to grow up in that decade and was a teenager in the 70s. I didnt come along until 1978.

    • @onenation1130
      @onenation1130 3 роки тому

      Another good Alcatraz History Lesson ua-cam.com/video/dkGh98nUTiQ/v-deo.html

    • @MegaJared2
      @MegaJared2 3 роки тому

      @@amberjones9520 it was crazy. JFK assassination, Cuban missile crisis, escape from Alcatraz.... the 60s was insane lol

  • @bayanimargate7474
    @bayanimargate7474 10 місяців тому +3

    It’s still interesting to me that they were allowed to smoke but not allowed to talk. I learned about this while working on pier 9 scheduling tickets for Alcatraz tours through the Hornblower

  • @Halo17
    @Halo17 3 роки тому +9

    I also took a tour many years ago, it was facinating. A person could actually feel the despair in the atmosphere. I remember the last menu was still up in the board in the cafeteria.

  • @adape0884frank
    @adape0884frank Рік тому +10

    My dad lived in SanFrancisco, CA and back when the Anglin Brothers and Frank Morris escaped it was a big talk around the whole entire city.

  • @Father_Quant
    @Father_Quant 5 років тому +113

    Thought shroud was talking to me when it started playing

  • @twizzy239
    @twizzy239 4 роки тому +80

    i thought dinner and supper were the same thing

    • @praveshmaharaj4387
      @praveshmaharaj4387 4 роки тому +7

      yeah lol

    • @joeyjamison5772
      @joeyjamison5772 4 роки тому +14

      When I was in the Air Force, dinner was the noon meal and supper the evening meal.

    • @sandi1263
      @sandi1263 4 роки тому +4

      According to where you live...l

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +2

      T Wizzy, Designation of a meal depends on your financial status! If you have a 7 figure bank account, every meal is dinner! Norma Jean Morrissey$$$$

    • @SlushPile
      @SlushPile 4 роки тому +3

      In the UK ,supper can be a small snack before bed.

  • @BobBob-tm4fd
    @BobBob-tm4fd 4 роки тому +37

    Honestly if you were well behaved there it doesn’t sound like that bad of a place to be stuck

    • @JohnJApanovitch
      @JohnJApanovitch 3 роки тому +2

      It really comes down to your behavior. That's what prison does. It's supposed to help change you for the better. So if you were well-behaved, then there was actually a chance that your sentence might've gotten shortened. That's the thing about it.

  • @thetorontogirl
    @thetorontogirl 4 роки тому +123

    "The Snitch Box."
    That is the name that will be used for a metal detector from now on. I don't care what you say!

  • @CarimboHanky
    @CarimboHanky 3 роки тому +16

    "$60 tour for the whole family"
    when was that back in the 90s?!
    i was in san francisco in 2019 and the tour was around $75 per person

  • @calicastro4085
    @calicastro4085 5 років тому +46

    Tony Hawk Pro Skater... This was my favorite map...

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому

      History 101 Alcatraz, After the prison closed in 1963. November, 1969, a group: Native Americans took over the island. They planned to create a University and establish it as a place of honor & worship for various tribes. They offered to pay the U.S. govt. for the island. Their offer? $24.00 in beads and cloth. Sounds familiar! Many "moons" ago that is what the Dutch paid for Manhattan Island. This time Native Americans wanted to put one over on the property owners! There is more to this story! The Dutch purchased the island. All was well, until another tribe attacked the Dutch. You see, the 2nd tribe were the legal owners of Manhattan, not the group that sold it. Never able to find out if it was settled amicably! Norma Jean Morrissey history lover♡

  • @MrAlastairwylie
    @MrAlastairwylie 4 роки тому +470

    Nobody:
    Frank Morris watching this video: that’s a nice prison there. Would be a shame if someone…
    Escaped it

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +7

      Frank, Good to hear from you. How have you been? Just how old are you? You must be in your 90's by now! Where have you been? I read that the Anglins were in South America these many years. Wonder if they had any "German" neighbors who moved there about oh maybe 1945! ( you know what I mean!) Doing much swimming these days? Be well♡♡ Norma Jean Morrissey

    • @MrAlastairwylie
      @MrAlastairwylie 4 роки тому

      minecraft sucks it’s called a joke. I’m not a professional comedian but I think your taking this out of context

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +2

      @@MrAlastairwylie Please tell me about "minecraft" What is it? Norma Jean Morrissey

    • @MrAlastairwylie
      @MrAlastairwylie 4 роки тому

      Norma jean Morrissey I’m not frank Morris. And I’m certain he watching the video and “Minecraft sucks” is his username. I am not referring to the game in a negative light

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +3

      Frank, How the heck are you? Just in case no one had ever told you, that was one cool escape! Was it your idea? With your high IQ, I wouldn't be surprised! Did you know they shut down the prison? They said it was for financial reasons. I think it was because of your "great escape"!!!Hope to hear from you soon. I heard you were living in a monastery in a "cell". You must feel right at home!! Norma Jean Morrissey

  • @francescapecora818
    @francescapecora818 3 роки тому +12

    i remember going there as a child. it was so scary because i think there were a couple people alive that lived on the island.

  • @lehmanbrad007
    @lehmanbrad007 4 роки тому +8

    I toured Alcatraz once when a former inmate was there signing his book about the time he spent there. His name was Jim Quillen. Pretty awesome!

  • @tugginalong
    @tugginalong 4 роки тому +42

    I went on a tour of Alcatraz prison in 2005. The tour guide (it may have been a recording) mentioned the prison was originally housing for prisoners of war. Also, one of the wardens turned off the heat as a way of punishment one winter. It saved so much money that he never allowed heat to be provided again. It was probably heat provided by coal.
    The prison is smaller than you realize and especially the prison cafeteria that you see in the movie.

  • @jareroof1581
    @jareroof1581 5 років тому +148

    I thought it said "intimate life at Alcatraz"i was a bit confused

  • @BX138
    @BX138 6 місяців тому +2

    I saw "Escape From Alcatraz" in the theater when I was a kid. I always wanted to visit. A few years ago, my wife and I went for my 50th birthday. Very fun. We went the first week of August, and we wore jackets, because it was so cold. And I imagined in a building that's nothing but iron and concrete, the prisoners must have froze their butts off in the winter.

  • @Zack-ne4fc
    @Zack-ne4fc 4 роки тому +25

    I like how he’s just talking about selling books and stuff and there’s scary music in the background

  • @mikewells9988
    @mikewells9988 4 роки тому +13

    Alcatraz : the highlight of the San Francisco vacation. No poop on the street or hypodermics

  • @basitjj2095
    @basitjj2095 3 роки тому +245

    Imagine paying for a tour when u can just play this map on zombies

  • @mikekuhn6216
    @mikekuhn6216 7 місяців тому +1

    Very informative. During my stint in the USAF as an Air Policeman I was assigned to the Confinement Section. We received and processed AWOLs from the Army, Navy and Marines plus any caught while assigned to the base. It was restrictive, but not really punitive as most were waiting a return to their regular duty base. They had various duty assignments on base, and medium custodies were guarded for work routine. They were marched 3 times daily to the Mess Hall for meals. There was daily "mail call" and TV in the evening. Lights out at 2300, up at 0500. It was very good duty for the guards and I enjoyed the assignment; however, 6/5/67, was discharge day and I returned to our Illinois farm to enter college.

  • @greymarket6834
    @greymarket6834 Рік тому +34

    I went to Alcatraz as a kid and met Jim Quillen. He was there signing his book which i still have and read every few years.

  • @spike-4219
    @spike-4219 4 роки тому +11

    I've been there,you can feel the echoes of misery and despair.

  • @itcheebeard
    @itcheebeard 3 роки тому +7

    I went there with my mother and step father in '96 as a 9 year old whilst on our holiday to the US. We met an ex inmate who i believe was selling a book or something. I believe his name was Whitey Thompson.
    Was an AWESOME day our for kids for sure!

  • @catmomjill
    @catmomjill 2 роки тому +2

    Got to visit a few years ago. Being alone in a cell sounds better than what they have now. Oh, as for visiting, pay the extra for head phones. Really cool.

  • @alisterfolson
    @alisterfolson 4 роки тому +18

    I visited during Fleet Week in '98. Pretty sure the tour has been upgraded since then but it's worth checking out

  • @paulcook1494
    @paulcook1494 5 років тому +11

    Interesting. I lived in San Francisco for 5 years in the 90s and it was always a place to bring visiting friends. But the reality makes it horrific to think about how no one, including me ever thought thought about what life was like there for inmates.

  • @jdtreadway
    @jdtreadway 5 років тому +18

    Toured the Rock several times. Definitely a tough place to be.

  • @alanparks7919
    @alanparks7919 11 місяців тому +2

    I’ve toured Alcatraz a number of times. Fascinating place, but glad we could leave! We got to meet Jim Quillin one time there, and another ex-inmate on another visit, who was selling his book.

  • @hollybennett4521
    @hollybennett4521 3 роки тому +5

    I've been, and it was very interesting. The audio tour I listened to was easily the best audio tour I have ever been on, it was very informative, and not bring at all. When I was leaving, we walked through the gift shop, and a lady names Jolene Babyak (I believe I have spelled this wrong, my apologies). She was one of the children who lives on the island. Not for a crime but because many or guards lived on the island in their own houses outside the jail, but on the island. Apparently it was quite a nice life, and they didn't ever socialize with the inmates. She was there, and she was signing her book, which is sold on the island. It is all about the escape, and the way they escaped, along with the theories that surround it. I have yet to read it, but when I do, I am sure it will be very interesting, and I am excited to read it.

  • @caseytodd7632
    @caseytodd7632 5 років тому +66

    This sounds no different than growing up in my house...

  • @maddexotic4933
    @maddexotic4933 3 роки тому +5

    The fact that prison wages are still pretty much 5-12 cents an hour is sickening.

  • @Katie-mw7pd
    @Katie-mw7pd 3 роки тому +1

    I don’t usually pay for tours but the Alcatraz tour was definitely money and time well spent. Get the audio tour, it’s awesome.

  • @wock6496
    @wock6496 5 років тому +14

    Capone never "begged" to be in the band, he was let in as he asked because of the power and fear people still had for him while being locked up.
    Fun Fact: He wrote a love song dedicated to his wife while playing with the band

    • @juancarlosnegron2358
      @juancarlosnegron2358 2 роки тому

      It's just entertainment.

    • @Yogagirl9935
      @Yogagirl9935 2 роки тому +2

      I don’t think the inmates were scared of him for that long at Alcatraz, since he was getting pretty sick from Syphilis by then & his mind was going.

    • @drbigmdftnu
      @drbigmdftnu Рік тому +1

      Supposedly, he was a model prisoner while there.

  • @JT-nn8nj
    @JT-nn8nj 5 років тому +76

    Prisoners at Alcatraz had better educational opportunities than students today lol

    • @getminesallday24
      @getminesallday24 5 років тому +2

      Tell me bout it i got my degree in san quentin now im a teacher at a middle school

    • @riotrecker8978
      @riotrecker8978 4 роки тому

      Now that’s a stretch

    • @GooseGumlizzard
      @GooseGumlizzard 4 роки тому +1

      bullshit

    • @normajeanmorrissey2903
      @normajeanmorrissey2903 4 роки тому +2

      To Johnathan Turner: you are right! Frank Morris and the Anglin BROTHERS took up sculpting and painting in art class, hair trimming in barbershop 101, raincoat re-use in rubber design for dummies, and ocean navigation for the beginner sailor! After their escape these courses were no longer offered!! Norma Jean Morrissey-amateur historian

  • @spaceman081447
    @spaceman081447 4 роки тому +15

    Four decades ago, I spent some time in a local penal institution in which the cells were worse than those shown in the Alcatraz video. They were about the same size and were also single-person cells. However, there was no toilet and no sink. One had to defecate and urinate into a bucket, which the inmate had to empty out first thing every morning. The mattresses were bags filled with straw placed on a steel plate. The only light came from the lights in the cell block corridors.

    • @Scratchingforcash
      @Scratchingforcash 2 роки тому +2

      Where the heck was that?

    • @spaceman081447
      @spaceman081447 2 роки тому +2

      @@Scratchingforcash
      It was called the Workhouse and was located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It has since been torn down and was replaced by the Hamilton County Justice Center.

    • @Scratchingforcash
      @Scratchingforcash 2 роки тому +1

      @@spaceman081447 I’m glad you’re out and doing good. Stay up my friend.

    • @spaceman081447
      @spaceman081447 2 роки тому +2

      @@Scratchingforcash
      Thanks. As I said, it was about four decades ago. I quit drinking & drugging in 1984, and I haven't been locked up since.

    • @williethebaker6714
      @williethebaker6714 Рік тому

      ua-cam.com/video/BISs25VTdI4/v-deo.html

  • @davidwelch5186
    @davidwelch5186 Рік тому +2

    In 1970 I was incarcerated at Pentridge Prison, Melbourne Australia for 9 months.. smuggling
    LSD in the mail.
    It was a old style prison. build in 1850
    my job was to take supplies with a push cart to the different divisions.
    H division was max.. men were housed in 2 rooms for each man. The inside room had a toilet and bed. The outside room had 2small doors.
    One door had big rocks go in and the prisoners shovel out gravel from the little door. Guard were above the cells on a
    platform. Pentridge is closed now. Somethings you don’t forget. Pentridge is one of them.I was 20 at the time.

  • @gargantuaism
    @gargantuaism 2 роки тому +5

    I had an Uncle that was there for six years and he said it was kind of nice actually. Good views, field trips to Fisherman's Wharf, fish and chips on Sundays, He said if you were going to be at prison , Alcatraz was a very good choice.

  • @aidenceppi2090
    @aidenceppi2090 4 роки тому +32

    When do the inmates get their own hells retriever?

  • @anyama2914
    @anyama2914 5 років тому +18

    I visited Alcatraz, it was very interesting, I would recommend the tour

    • @fallen6440
      @fallen6440 5 років тому +1

      Is it still open?

    • @TheWeasel813
      @TheWeasel813 5 років тому +4

      FALLEN yep, I don’t know how long it is going to be open though.
      Probably for the next hundred years or something

    • @conniecrawford5231
      @conniecrawford5231 4 роки тому +1

      Take the ferries from SF- some ferries go to Alcatraz, some just circlenit.

  • @mrgreenelander4952
    @mrgreenelander4952 6 місяців тому +1

    An old work buddy of mine told me he had once gone on the tour with some family members. He stated that at the near beginning of the tour, the group was entering a part of the prison, when they started hearing slamming cell door sounds from the upper tier in the very back. He looked at the tour guide expecting it to be part of the experience, but she had turned white. They asked her, come on this is part of the tour right? but she replied no, there was not supposed to be anyone in that section, and that security would have to be called. She then escorted the group to the front and told the supervisor to issue full refunds to any members who wanted to reschedule their tour or be refunded completely no questions asked. His family members said f k it and just left. He said the place creep-ed him out so much, he was kinda glad to leave. TRUE STORY

  • @Bierbernd
    @Bierbernd 5 років тому +90

    Am I the only one who thinks „the bodies were never found“ is an indication that they made it??? How would they know that they died if they never found a body

    • @therealyws362
      @therealyws362 5 років тому +9

      You aint from the bay huh im from antioch you could drive a boat from sf to sac theres no or nothing so shit can float far as fuck and the water is deep as fuck to shit in antioch alone its dead as fuck i can even imagine how deep sf waters are im not saying they couldn't have made im saying it pretty easy for a to go missing in that water hell any large bodie of water

    • @ic966
      @ic966 5 років тому +8

      @@therealyws362 And in the dark too, fuck that!

    • @peterlynsparkes4188
      @peterlynsparkes4188 5 років тому +8

      They were all career criminals and I can guarantee u they'd have gone back to crime and been caught if they'd made it. U know what they say, a leopard doesn't change it's spots.

    • @TheWeasel813
      @TheWeasel813 5 років тому +5

      They don’t know if they’re dead, they are presumed dead until more evidence is shown, or if the government decides to let out the secrets.

    • @therealyws362
      @therealyws362 5 років тому +1

      @@ic966 even in the day hell no

  • @kickinitdisneystyle6992
    @kickinitdisneystyle6992 3 роки тому +7

    I’ve been there, you can feel it in the air that people died there, it’s really really scary

    • @One-Crazy-Cat
      @One-Crazy-Cat 2 роки тому

      I died there in a past existence.

    • @julesmusic407
      @julesmusic407 8 місяців тому

      @@One-Crazy-Catdefinitely possible.

  • @rivaridge7211
    @rivaridge7211 4 роки тому +5

    I lived in San Francisco for a few years in the mid-1980's, and every time a visitor came (from back East) the first place they wanted to see was Alcatraz - it was convenient, as I lived in the Fisherman's Wharf area and it was an easy and fun thing to do (just a two block walk from my place to the Ferry which would take us over). At that time most of the areas of the former prison were open and folks were allowed to roam on their own. I still have a great photo of my late Dad standing in one of the cells - I'm thinking this probably wouldn't be allowed today ;-)

  • @sparkytdg
    @sparkytdg 4 роки тому +1

    Been there at least ten times over the last 35 to 40 years. VERY neat tour.
    The first time I went it looked like nothing had been touched since the 40's, most passages and several blocks closed and you could only look out on the yard, into the dining hall and see the barber and Docs from a good 50' away. s lot of stuff was mushy and moldy like it had been sitting in water for years... Duh huh...
    Last time I went, we got to go out into the yard (I still have photos from every trip near that area either looking through a port and seeing SF over the yard, or from the yard top steps looking at SF), into the dinning hall, into a few cells, I've been in the solitary cells many times and yes, they would drive a man crazy.
    I would suggest taking the tape tour. Unless you are with a person who has studied the Rock to the point of even knowing Cell numbers.
    I even own a few books about Alcatraz written and signed by some of the later inmates.

  • @blynd4132
    @blynd4132 4 роки тому +63

    "Hey Sal, We must have been through this 50 times already."

    • @user-kc4ol4bg7q
      @user-kc4ol4bg7q 4 роки тому +6

      Imagine in just chilling at lunch at alcatraz and Brutus just spawns in a breaks ur shins with his baton

    • @lens425
      @lens425 4 роки тому

      We’ll go through this another 50 if that’s what it takes

    • @blynd4132
      @blynd4132 4 роки тому

      @@user-kc4ol4bg7q PRIVILEGES REVOKED

    • @blynd4132
      @blynd4132 4 роки тому

      @@lens425 9:30, lights out. guard begins his routes.

    • @icy_liquid58
      @icy_liquid58 4 роки тому

      @@blynd4132 the weasel starts his song and dance routine

  • @broganreilly4506
    @broganreilly4506 4 роки тому +6

    Genuinely love this channel so much, I love all things history and seeing it in these sorts of videos is amazing

  • @scottjoplin.1429
    @scottjoplin.1429 4 роки тому +29

    Aside from the form of punishment that Alcatraz used, I think that a prison that is strict, but rewarding to those who follow the rules is a good one.

    • @zacharywood9416
      @zacharywood9416 3 роки тому

      What... ?

    • @MsClepsydra
      @MsClepsydra 2 роки тому +1

      Actually music (arts in general), sports and education programs are reform/ correctional tools and reduce recidivism. They should be provided as a standard, not as a reward.

  • @joycewhyte1863
    @joycewhyte1863 3 роки тому +11

    I toured Alcatraz a few years ago and actually met former prisoner William G Baker. He was doing a book signing at the gift store.

  • @Exxtaa
    @Exxtaa 5 років тому +49

    Hey! Do a video about The Library of Alexandria if you can please =)

  • @uttermanbo
    @uttermanbo 3 роки тому +19

    This is like a day at the spa compared to many prisons in more brutal parts of the world.

    • @bostjules6176
      @bostjules6176 3 роки тому +9

      I definitely agree with what you posted... but know also that brutality goes on everyday in north american prisons that the public knows nothing about. I'm Canadian and have been in and out of prisons most of my life. I'm a rehabilitated career criminal that has suffered many first hand incidents of brutality. Prison life anywhere is very intense to the point that I've witnessed many acts of violence and suicide. Thanks Bud for just letting me vent.😉

    • @uttermanbo
      @uttermanbo 3 роки тому +1

      @@bostjules6176 I'm glad you are out, and I thank you for sharing your story. I only speak on what I've seen while oversees in my deployment in the Air Force. Many people aren't even afforded a blanket, shoes, or one square meal. I have talked to people who have been in prison here(in the States) , and it's no picnic. I would never want to know what I would resort to if somebody tried to violate me. All civility flies out at that point, not to even breach the subject of psychological distress.

  • @spaceman081447
    @spaceman081447 3 роки тому +5

    At 4:34 . . . "CELLS WERE BASIC" The cells were similar to the cells in the old Cincinnati Workouse (opened in 1869), being about 7 feet long and 5 feet wide. However, the Workhouse cells did not include such amenities as flush toilets or wash basins. During lockdown time in his cell, a prisoner had to urinate and defecate into a gallon-sized can, which it was his duty to empty immediately after the cells were unlocked each morning. Washing up was done at communal wash basins on the main floor of each cell block. Showers were a priviledge that was given only periodically.

  • @aFeverishFiend
    @aFeverishFiend 3 роки тому +13

    I took a tour of Alcatraz on a family vacation when I was 12... they gave us headphones with a little tape to listen to while we walked through the prison. OMG it was creepy AF!!! The sound effects made it so realistic like you could hear people yelling and banging on the cells.
    If they still have that tour then I recommend it to everyone!