Text 2. A brief History of Alcatraz

Alcatraz was a maximum security prison for the worst criminals in the United States. The island of Alcatraz is located in San Francisco Bay. By the late 1850s, the first military prisoners were housed on the island and its role as a prison continued for more than 100 years. In 1909 a new prison, known as     «the Rock», was built.

In 1933 the Federal Government decided to open a maximum-security, minimum-privilege prison to deal with the most incorrigible inmates in Federal prisons, and to show to the public that the Federal Government was serious about stopping the crime of the 1920s and 1930s. J. Edgar Hoover, the aggressive young director of the FBI in the 1930s, persuaded the President and US Attorney General that America needed a «super prison» and that Alcatraz could be such a prison. Several well-known criminals, such as Al Capone, did time on Alcatraz.

  At Alcatraz, a prisoner had four rights: food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Everything else was a privilege that had to be earned: working, corresponding with and having visits from family members, access to the prison library, and recreation activities such as painting and music. Any and all «privileges» could be taken away for the most minor violations of discipline. In the first few years of the prison talking to other prisoners was also considered «a privilege».

    At that time most penitentiaries had one guard for every ten convicts; on Alcatraz they had one for every three prisoners. There were 6 official counts per day, but unofficial counts increased the daily number up to 30.

  When a man was no longer a threat and could follow the rules (usually after an average of 5 years on Alcatraz), he could then be transferred back to another federal prison to finish his sentence and be released. There were, however, prisoners who decided to escape from the prison. Over 1934–1963 when this federal prison operated, 36 men (including two who tried to escape twice) were involved in 14 separate escape attempts. 23 were caught, 6 were shot and killed during their escape, and 2 drowned.

    In March 1963, Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation. It was closed because the institution was too expensive. The major expense was caused by the physical isolation of the island. This isolation meant that everything (food, supplies, fresh water, fuel, etc.) had to be brought to Alcatraz by boat.

    In 1972 the island of Alcatraz was included in the National Park Service and was opened to the public. Today it is a popular tourist site and is visited by more than 1 million tourists from all over the world each year.

 

(M. P. Roth. “Crime and Punishment.

 A History of the Criminal Justice System”)

Прочитайте текст со словарем. Найдите английские переводы следующих словосочетаний.

Преступник, осужденный (3 варианта) criminal, prisoner, inmate; тюрьма с максимально строгим режимом содержания осужденных a maximum security prison for the worst criminals; Генеральный прокурор США US Attorney General; отбывать срок в тюрьме serve the sentence; нарушения дисциплины violations of discipline; охранник guard; перекличка осужденных talking to other prisoners; приговор sentence; быть освобожденным be released; совершить побег/побег, попытка побега to escape from the prison / escape attempt; пенитенциарное учреждение a penal institution; популярный туристический объект popular tourist site.

 

6. Составьте письменный пересказ текста, используя следующие вопросы в качестве пунктов плана.

 1) Where is Alcatraz located?

The island of Alcatraz is located in San Francisco Bay.

 2) When did the US Federal Government open Alcatraz as a maximum-    security prison?

In 1934 year.

 3) Why was this prison opened?

  To show to the public that the Federal Government was serious about stopping the crime of the 1920s and 1930s.

4) What basic rights did the prisoners have on Alcatraz? 

At Alcatraz, a prisoner had four rights: food, clothing, shelter and medical care.

5) What was considered a privilege?

Working, corresponding with and having visits from family members, access to the prison library, and recreation activities such as painting and music.

6) What other facts from the text prove that this prison was really a maximum-security prison for the worst criminals in the USA?

At that time most penitentiaries had one guard for every ten convicts; on Alcatraz they had one for every three prisoners.

7) Were there any escape attempts in the history of Alcatraz?