Opinion Prison as irresistible tourist attraction
The symbol of Americas dark side is Alcatraz. But this former military prison and dreaded high-security federal penitentiary in California for 104 years also demonstrates the ultimate success of marketing action....
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The symbol of Americas dark side is Alcatraz. But this former military prison and dreaded high-security federal penitentiary in California for 104 years also demonstrates the ultimate success of marketing action,that even this Devils Island of despair can be made into a tourist location.
Walking down San Francisco wharf is very enjoyable. Theres the famous organic food farmers market,restaurants offering fresh seafood,curio stores and you can see sea lions up close slide and growl with different gestures. The misty distance has small islands and a mysterious big ship-like rock thats Alcatraz,which has inspired apparel outlets here to showcase prison-inspired fashion for men,women and children. The crowds in Pier 33 alert you to the rush for Alcatraz,a mile and a quarter away,used over time as a fort,a lighthouse and a prison. Its now a part of the Golden Gate National Park that preserves its buildings,protects its birds and other wildlife and interprets its history. Visitors can go for a cellhouse tour to Alcatraz island.
The US Army first established a fort in Alcatraz in 1853 to protect the Golden Gate from Confederate raiders. It became a military prison from 1859 to 1933. As it was not a place with maximum security,several escape attempts were successful. Ingenious get-away methods included commandeering boats,using disguise and forged documents,drifting away on logs,smearing grease on the body to protect against the cold sea water and swimming away. But attempts by stealing a butter vat from the bakery or a bread kneading trough to paddle away in were unsuccessful.
When in 1934 the Federal Government took over Alcatraz,they made it escape-proof to correct dangerous criminals. But 14 escape bids have proved that daring crooks have extreme intelligence,breakaway thinking and will go to any length for freedom. In fact these attempts have inspired hundreds of novels and Hollywood films such as The Rock,Escape from Alcatraz,The Birdman of Alcatraz and Murder in the First.
To discourage escape attempts they used psychological tactics like revealing to prisoners that dangerous sharks abound,the frigid water was too cold at 58 degree Fahrenheit and the strong current at 6 to 8 mph would wash away swimmers. But that did not stop 36 men from trying to flee to freedom.
The first attempt was very desperate,the prisoner climbed a fence and was shot down. So other inmates realised that real escapes will take real planning. The tenth escape attempt was called the Battle of Alcatraz. For three days six inmates overpowered the guards,captured weapons and took over the cellhouse,but they could not get the keys to the exterior door. The battle ended with five dead,two guards and three prisoners,and two convicts were later executed. By the thirteenth escape bid,much more sophistication was used. Dummy heads were made with soap and human hair,left on the bed to fool the guards while three convicts climbed to the roof along a ventilator shaft,entered the water with floatation devices made from raincoats and were never seen again.
On a day-to-day basis Alcatraz was different from other prisons and more expensive. Each inmate had his own cell with a bed,toilet,basin,stool and table. Their clothing and bedding were frequently changed and laundered; meals were good and plentiful because officials realised that adequate food was conducive to good behaviour. After the 1950s,the well-lit cells were individually equipped with radio headsets that prison officials monitored and edited. From portholes inside,inmates could see San Francisco,and hear New Year celebrations,which probably inspired their dreams to run away.
Hellcatraz for some prisoners,life here was highly regimented,hard,with limited privileges. Pitch-dark solitary confinement for the most disobedient public enemies was meant to be for a maximum of 19 days,but rumour has it that it was more. In fact,prisoner Henri Young,part of the fourth escape bid with three others that sawed through window bars,scrambled to the waters edge but were captured,made Alcatraz infamous when a 26-year-old rookie lawyer called James Martin MacInnis fought his case in court. After his escape bid,Young was allegedly confined to the underground dungeon for a long term. On return,he one day killed a fellow prisoner at the dining hall. His lawyer argued that this murder was not Youngs own doing but a consequence of the inhuman conditions at Alcatraz. In a landmark judgment,a 12-member jury found Young guilty of involuntary manslaughter,but added that the treatment of prisoners at Alcatraz was unbelievably brutal and inhuman. Young did not get the death sentence but was returned to Alcatraz.
By the 1960s,US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy ordered reevaluation for Alcatraz. Among other problems like escape bids becoming too powerful,Alcatraz was too expensive to run,needed heavy maintenance expenditure,and a national campaign to rehabilitate inmates was gathering momentum. The prison was closed on March 21,1963. Since then,fanfare has been built around Alcatraz the museum. Tourist memorabilia include steel replicas of prisoner cups,prison keys and Alcatraz-branded chocolates.
Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him at
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