Was Alcatraz Doomed For Failure

The first reason Alcatraz was doomed for failure before it was in operation was because of the elements. Alcatraz prison was built in 1909. Some of the construction work was actually done by the prisoners (Cavendish). In 1933, “The Justice Department assumed control of the facility…” (“Summary and Analysis”). An administrator from Folsom, California envisioned Alcatraz as a smart change to the prison system. “He installed automatic locking devices, gunwalks, tear-gas outlets, and steel doors and enclosed the prison with a barbed wire fence and guard-manned gun towers” (“Summary and Analysis”).
In 1946, there was an escape attempt, often called “Battle of Alcatraz”. Six prisons got a hold of weapons and took control of the prison. After this
Along with that, the modifications would take five years (“Alcatraz History”). The deterioration made it easier for prisoners to escape. Evidence of this is during the Morris and Anglin escape, the men were able to dig out in weeks instead of months or years (Van Raaphorst). The deterioration and cost expense provided evidence that Alcatraz was not going to last much longer. Alcatraz was doomed for failure before it was in operation because of the elements surrounding the island. Unfortunately, nobody saw the issue of the salt air and earthquakes. In a short period of time, the structures were almost uninhabitable, causing the structures to fail and a very expensive repair rate. Few people realized that the elements would be an issue that loomed over their heads, waiting for the right moment to strike. Therefore, because the elements weakened the structures, creating expensive modifications, Alcatraz was doomed for failure before it was in
These supplies were needed to house the 1,576 prisoners held there between 1934-1963 (“Alcatraz History”). “... the island had no source of fresh water, so nearly one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island each week” (“Alcatraz”). The daily cost per capita, or daily cost per prisoner, at Alcatraz was $10.10. A prison on the mainland, for example Atlanta prison costs three times less than Alcatraz. The Atlanta prison costs $3.00 daily per capita, which is significantly lower than the price of Alcatraz (“Alcatraz”). According to a 1960 study, it costed more than $30,000 per year to house one inmate on the island (Van