Description
Book SynopsisBrings to life the stories of legendary 'public enemies' for whom America's first supermax prison was created. This book contains answers to questions that have swirled about the prison: How did prisoners cope psychologically with the harsh regime? and What provoked the protests and strikes?
Trade Review"Enjoyable as well as informative. Anyone who has read it is unlikely to look upon the Rock quite the same way ever again." -- Martin Rubin San Francisco Chronicle "Alcatraz, as David Ward has re-created it, is irresistible to read about." -- Ben Pesta California Lawyer "Alcatraz: The Gangster Years deserves a place in the library of anyone or institution." -- Webb Johnson California Historian
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Reconstructing the Life of a Prison Part I. Alcatraz from 1934 to 1948 1. The Federal Government's War on Public Enemies 2. A New Form of Imprisonment 3. Selecting the "Worst of the Worst" 4. The Program 5. Organized Resistance: A Regime Tested 6. Finding a Hole in the Rock: The First Escape Attempts 7. Alcatraz on Trial 8. The War Years 9. The Battle of Alcatraz Part II. Life on the Rock for Resisters and Public Enemies 10. Resistance and Adaptation 11. Outlaws among Outlaws 12. Celebrity Prisoners Part III. Alcatraz as an Experiment in Penal Policy 13. Return to the Free World 14. Lessons from Alcatraz for Supermax Prisons Epilogue Bibliographic Commentary Acknowledgments About the Authors
