Welcome to USP-Alcatraz.net

Preserving the history of the United States Penitentiary at Alcatraz — one inmate, officer, escape attempt, photograph, and story at a time.

From 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz operated as one of the most secure and infamous federal prisons in American history. Isolated in the cold waters of San Francisco Bay, the island became home to some of the nation's most notorious criminals, including Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis, Robert Stroud, and many others whose stories are far less well known.

But Alcatraz was much more than famous gangsters and dramatic escape attempts.

USP-Alcatraz.net is dedicated to documenting the complete history of the federal penitentiary and the people connected to it. Here you can explore detailed inmate biographies, prison records, wardens and correctional officers, escape attempts, photographs, historical documents, cellhouse history, and the everyday operation of life on “The Rock.”

Our goal is to go beyond the legends.

Many Alcatraz inmates have been reduced to little more than a name and prison number, while others have become surrounded by myths repeated for decades. This project attempts to reconstruct their stories using historical records, archival material, photographs, newspapers, government documents, and other reliable sources whenever possible.

Explore the inmate register. Follow every known escape attempt. Learn about the men who guarded the prison, the wardens who operated it, and the events that shaped Alcatraz during its twenty-nine years as a federal penitentiary.

New biographies, photographs, records, and historical features are continually being added as the archive grows.

Welcome to the history of Alcatraz. Welcome to The Rock.