AZ-4 — Joseph Constantine Harrison

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary Inmate No. 4

Full Name: Joseph Constantine Harrison
Alcatraz Register Number: AZ-4
Born: Probably 1907, West Virginia*
Died: Reported as 1976*
Occupation before imprisonment: U.S. Army soldier
Conviction: Military conviction for sodomy
Sentence: Five years
Conviction Date: February 27, 1932
Place of Conviction: Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii
Previous Institution: U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch
Federal Alcatraz Registration: June 19, 1934
Left Alcatraz: July 29, 1935
Disposition: Discharged
Photograph: No publicly available photograph has yet been positively authenticated

*Birth year and death year are reported by secondary historical sources but should be regarded as provisional until confirmed from Harrison's original military or federal prison records.

Joseph Constantine Harrison — Biography

Joseph Constantine Harrison was an American soldier and military prisoner who became Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary inmate AZ-4, placing his name among the very first prisoners entered into the register when Alcatraz transitioned from a U.S. Army disciplinary institution to a federal penitentiary in 1934.

The National Archives and Records Administration officially identifies him as:

HARRISON, JOSEPH CONSTANTINE — Register No. 4

Only Frank Lucas Bolt, Charles R. Copp, and Leon Harold Gregory precede Harrison in the federal Alcatraz numerical register.

Harrison is particularly interesting because his history straddles two distinct periods of Alcatraz history: the island's final period as a U.S. military prison and its beginning as the notorious federal penitentiary.

Early Life

The details of Joseph Constantine Harrison's childhood and family remain poorly documented in publicly accessible sources.

Historical research based partly on the 1930 United States Census indicates that Harrison was probably born in West Virginia around 1907.

There is an important complication, however. Researchers have noted that the 1930 census records two men named Joseph C. Harrison stationed at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, Hawaii, both reportedly born in West Virginia and separated in age by only about two years.

Because of this duplication, it is difficult to reconstruct Harrison's early life with certainty without consulting his original military personnel and inmate records.

One historical researcher gives his lifespan as 1907–1976, but those dates have not yet been independently confirmed from a primary government record.

For that reason, details such as Harrison's exact date of birth, hometown, parents, childhood, education, and post-prison life should remain listed as unconfirmed until his archival records are obtained.

U.S. Army Service

By 1930, Joseph Harrison was serving in the United States Army and was stationed in Hawaii.

Schofield Barracks, located on the island of Oahu, was one of the Army's most important installations in the Hawaiian Territory.

Harrison's imprisonment resulted from a violation of military law rather than from the type of civilian federal crime normally associated with later Alcatraz prisoners.

Historical research indicates that Harrison was convicted while serving in the military in Hawaii.

Conviction in Hawaii

On February 27, 1932, Harrison was reportedly sentenced in Honolulu to five years' imprisonment for sodomy under the military laws then in force.

The terminology used in the historical records reflects the law of the 1930s.

The conduct for which Harrison was convicted was treated as a serious military offense at the time. Modern readers should understand the case within that historical context: American military law during this period criminalized consensual same-sex sexual activity, and service members could receive lengthy prison sentences following courts-martial.

According to surviving secondary research, Harrison had no known previous criminal record and no outstanding detainers associated with his sentence.

Military Imprisonment

Following his conviction, Harrison was confined within the U.S. Army prison system.

A surviving secondary account identifies his previous institution as the:

United States Army Disciplinary Barracks — Pacific Branch

Alcatraz itself had served the U.S. Army as a place of military imprisonment for decades before becoming a federal penitentiary.

This is an important part of Harrison's story because he was not one of the famous criminals subsequently selected by the Department of Justice for transfer to its new maximum-security prison.

Instead, Harrison appears to have already been part of the military-prison system when the federal government took control of Alcatraz.

Alcatraz Becomes a Federal Prison

During the early 1930s, the Department of Justice selected Alcatraz as the site of a new maximum-security federal penitentiary.

The military prison was closed, and the island was transferred to the Department of Justice.

A small group of military prisoners remained associated with Alcatraz during this transition.

Historical researchers report that 32 military prisoners were incorporated into the new federal inmate population when the institution changed jurisdiction in June 1934.

Several of these men—including Joseph Harrison—had been convicted under military laws prohibiting homosexual activity.

A historical study of these prisoners reports that nine men in the original group had been convicted of sodomy while serving in the Army.

Becoming Alcatraz Inmate AZ-4

On June 19, 1934, Joseph Constantine Harrison was entered into the new federal Alcatraz inmate system.

He received the permanent register number:

AZ-4

The National Archives' official numerical register begins:

AZ-1 — Frank Lucas Bolt
AZ-2 — Charles R. Copp
AZ-3 — Leon Harold Gregory
AZ-4 — Joseph Constantine Harrison
AZ-5 — Forrest B. Henry
AZ-6 — Clyde F. Hicks
AZ-7 — Ralph L. Hills
AZ-8 — Albert D. Hoke
AZ-9 — Alan Whitney Hood
AZ-10 — Frederick Lasalle Hulme

Harrison's position near the beginning of this register makes him one of the earliest numbered inmates in the entire history of the federal penitentiary.

However, his number should not be interpreted to mean that Harrison was literally the fourth prisoner ever physically confined on Alcatraz.

The island had held military prisoners for decades before the federal penitentiary opened.

The number refers specifically to his place in the federal Alcatraz inmate register.

Why Harrison Received Such a Low Number

Harrison's extraordinarily low inmate number resulted from the unusual circumstances surrounding the conversion of Alcatraz from a military prison to a federal penitentiary.

Research into the original military prisoners indicates that the first group was not necessarily numbered according to the exact sequence in which each man physically arrived on the island.

Instead, at least some of the former military prisoners appear to have been entered into the new register systematically.

This explains why prisoners such as Harrison could receive extremely low federal numbers even though Alcatraz had housed prisoners long before 1934.

His register number therefore represents the administrative birth of federal Alcatraz, rather than the beginning of imprisonment on the island itself.

Life at Alcatraz

Unfortunately, the publicly available information about Harrison's daily life inside Alcatraz is extremely limited.

There are currently no widely available records describing:

• His work assignment

• His behavior reports

• Disciplinary actions

• Correspondence

• Visitors

• Medical history

• Recreation activities

• Relationships with other prisoners

• Exact cell assignment

These details may survive in Harrison's original inmate case file.

Because Harrison spent his federal Alcatraz period during the earliest phase of the prison's operation, his experience would have differed in some respects from inmates who arrived later.

The institution was still being converted and reorganized into the highly controlled maximum-security facility that would become internationally famous.

Sentence and Parole Information

Historical research provides unusually specific information concerning Harrison's sentence.

He had reportedly received a five-year sentence beginning in 1932.

According to the available secondary account:

Conviction: February 27, 1932
Original parole eligibility date: October 28, 1933
Minimum sentence date: August 18, 1935
Maximum sentence date: February 26, 1937

The same research states that Harrison apparently did not receive parole on the earlier eligibility date.

Instead, he remained imprisoned through the conversion of Alcatraz into a federal penitentiary.

Release From Alcatraz

Joseph Constantine Harrison's stay in the federal Alcatraz system was comparatively short.

Historical inmate research records his departure as:

July 29, 1935 — Discharged

This was approximately two weeks before the reported minimum sentence date of August 18, 1935.

Unlike prisoners who were transferred from Alcatraz to institutions such as Leavenworth, Atlanta, or McNeil Island, Harrison is listed as having been discharged, indicating that his imprisonment ended rather than continuing at another federal institution.

From the beginning of federal registration on June 19, 1934 until his discharge on July 29, 1935, Harrison spent approximately 13 months under the federal Alcatraz system.

His total incarceration stemming from the 1932 military conviction was substantially longer because he had already been imprisoned before Alcatraz became a federal penitentiary.

Harrison After Alcatraz

Very little reliable information about Joseph Constantine Harrison's life following his discharge has been located.

A secondary historical source identifies him as living from 1907 until 1976, but a primary record linking those dates conclusively to Alcatraz inmate AZ-4 has not yet been located.

Consequently, it would be premature to identify a particular later residence, occupation, spouse, family, cemetery, or death record as belonging to Harrison without additional evidence.

This is especially important because Joseph Harrison was a common name, and numerous men with similar names appear in twentieth-century census, military, Social Security, and death records.

Any post-Alcatraz biography must therefore be matched against his full military identification before being considered reliable.

Photograph of Joseph Constantine Harrison

No authenticated online photograph located

At present, no photograph found online can be positively identified as Joseph Constantine Harrison, AZ-4.

Images of unrelated men named Joseph Harrison should therefore not be used on a historical website as photographs of the Alcatraz inmate.

There is, however, an excellent reason to believe an authentic photograph may survive.

The National Archives at San Francisco states that its Alcatraz collections contain:

• Comprehensive individual inmate case files

• Prisoner identification photographs

• Copy negatives

• Black-and-white identification prints

• Warden's notebook records

• Administrative documentation

The Archives specifically states that these materials survive for most of the prisoners included in its Alcatraz inmate index.

Because Joseph Harrison is officially included in that index as inmate No. 4, the National Archives should be the first source consulted for an authentic image.

Recommended Website Image Caption

Joseph Constantine Harrison (AZ-4)
An authenticated prisoner identification photograph has not yet been located online. The National Archives at San Francisco holds identification photographs and inmate case files for most Alcatraz prisoners. This page will be updated if Harrison's original photograph is obtained.

Do not substitute an AI-generated portrait or an unidentified Joseph Harrison photograph.

Cell Location

Joseph Constantine Harrison's exact cell number at Alcatraz has not yet been verified.

No publicly available source located during this research provides a documented housing assignment for AZ-4.

This information may possibly be found in:

• His inmate case file

• Prison count records

• Housing records

• Warden's records

• Institutional administrative documents

Until an original source is found, a particular Alcatraz cell should not be assigned to Harrison.

Historical Significance

Joseph Constantine Harrison was not a famous gangster, bank robber, kidnapper, or escape artist.

Nevertheless, he occupies an unusually important position in the institutional history of Alcatraz.

His story demonstrates that the beginning of the federal prison was more complicated than the popular image of trainloads of America's most dangerous gangsters arriving at an empty island.

Harrison was part of the transition from military Alcatraz to federal Alcatraz.

His designation as AZ-4 places him at the very beginning of the official inmate register, before nearly every famous prisoner associated with the island.

Harrison's case also reveals a frequently overlooked part of American military and prison history. Some of the earliest federal Alcatraz inmates were servicemen whose convictions resulted from military laws regulating sexual behavior rather than the violent or organized crimes normally associated with the penitentiary.

For that reason, Joseph Constantine Harrison's story provides valuable context for understanding both the origins of the federal penitentiary and the changing nature of American criminal and military law.

Timeline

c. 1907
Probably born in West Virginia.

By 1930
Serving in the United States Army and stationed in Hawaii.

February 27, 1932
Reportedly convicted in Honolulu under military law for sodomy and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

1932–1934
Confined within the U.S. Army disciplinary prison system.

June 19, 1934
Entered into the newly established federal Alcatraz inmate register and assigned AZ-4.

June 1934 – July 1935
Confined under the federal Alcatraz administration.

July 29, 1935
Discharged from Alcatraz.

1976
Reported year of death; requires primary-source confirmation.

AZ-4 — Quick Facts

Name: Joseph Constantine Harrison
Register Number: AZ-4
Nationality: American
Birthplace: Reportedly West Virginia
Birth Year: Probably 1907
Military Service: U.S. Army
Crime: Military conviction for sodomy
Conviction Date: February 27, 1932
Sentence: Five years
Conviction Location: Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii
Previous Prison System: U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks
Federal Alcatraz Registration: June 19, 1934
Federal Alcatraz Number: 4
Departure: July 29, 1935
Disposition: Discharged
Cell: Unknown / not yet documented
Photograph: No authenticated public copy located
Reported Death: 1976, unconfirmed

Research Notes and Source Reliability

Confirmed by the National Archives

The following fact is considered primary-source-level verified through the National Archives:

Joseph Constantine Harrison was Alcatraz Register No. 4.

Supported by secondary historical research

The following details are consistently reported by specialized historical research but should ideally be checked against Harrison's original inmate and military records:

• Born approximately 1907

• Associated with West Virginia

• U.S. Army service

• Stationed in Hawaii

• Convicted February 27, 1932

• Five-year sentence

• Military sodomy conviction

• Federal Alcatraz registration June 19, 1934

• Discharged July 29, 1935

• No known prior criminal record

• Reported death in 1976

Still Unverified

The following should not yet be stated as fact:

• Exact date of birth

• Exact birthplace or hometown

• Parents

• Siblings

• Marriage or children

• Army unit and rank

• Full court-martial record

• Physical description

• Exact Alcatraz cell

• Work assignment at Alcatraz

• Complete disciplinary history

• Exact date and place of death

• Burial location

• Authenticated photograph

Primary Archival Record

The most important surviving source for additional research is believed to be Harrison's original Alcatraz inmate documentation held by:

National Archives at San Francisco
Record Group 129 — Records of the Bureau of Prisons
Joseph Constantine Harrison
Alcatraz Register No. 4

The National Archives states that its Alcatraz holdings include approximately 541 cubic feet of individual inmate case files, together with prisoner identification photographs and other institutional records.

An archival request for Harrison's complete file and identification photographs could potentially reveal his:

• Mugshot

• Birth date

• Birthplace

• Physical description

• Military information

• Court-martial information

• Fingerprints

• Sentence documentation

• Prison conduct

• Housing information

• Correspondence

• Release paperwork

• Post-release destination