Today’s Photo Friday is entitled: 

Doors, Doorways & Entries … to the soul, the house, a city, whatever…

chosen by CuriousC: 

Follow the links below for other entries (I will add links as entries come in!):

Idea jump! & Just for fun & Blahblah blog & Sky Windows & Looking in the mirror

I have to admit, for the first time ever, I wasn’t prepared for Photo Friday!! My excuse: I’ve been away all week with minimal computer access and no time to take suitable photos! Such is life.

So … what to do? Erm …

Solution: I dug out some old photographs that meet the criteria! So as Tina, would say, “without further ado”:

My Photo Friday entry: A doorway by Jan Marshall ©

Only this isn’t any old doorway. It’s a doorway inside Alcatraz Prison that leads to the cells. 

The prison is on Alcatraz Island (sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or by its pop-culture name, The Rock. It is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States.) It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963.

This is a fantastic site to find out more about the fascinating history of: Alcatraz.

My husband and I took a long vacation a couple of years ago and spent part of our time in Las Vegas – and part in San Francisco. Having both seen the film, The Rock, we decided the Alcatraz was a “must see”.  We found it absolutely fascinating as a place. We were, however, deeply saddened and shocked at the cells that the inmates stayed in (often in solitary confinement and for 24 hours a day); they were small, stark, basic cages. They inmates were on view to the guards the whole time – there was absolutely no privacy. They used an open toilet with no seat, in the corner of their cell. To say that conditions were harsh and brutal is an understatement. yet ironically, their cells were the least of their problems. When they were not being bullied and ill treated by the guards, they were in danger of losing life or limb to their fellow inmates. Lifers had nothing to lose – and kudos and safety could be gained from making others afraid of you. It was dog eat dog – and if the dogs didn’t get you the guards did.

All quote are from the Alcatraz history site: “How big was the average cell?

Each cell in B & C block was 5 feet by 9 feet. Cells at Alcatraz had a small sink with cold running water, small sleeping cot, and a toilet. Most men could extend their arms and touch each wall within their cell. The cells in D Block (segregation) were more spacious, but still the least popular.”

Below: through the doorway

On the day we visited one of the surviving inmates was there, signing copies of a book he’d written about life in the prison. He was a sad, forlorn looking figure, obviously crushed by many years of institutionalised life. There was a haunting deep sadness in his eyes. Even the fact that he’d come back to Alcatraz to sign his book revealed much about his attachment; he might be free now, but he wil never really escape Alcatraz’s clutches. My husband bought a copy of his book (I’ll try and find it and post the title) and couldn’t put it down. He said it was riveting – he could never have imagined the things that went on inside those confining walls. He didn’t want to imagine what went on inside those walls ….

“Do the inmates who were imprisoned at Alcatraz have anything good to say about the prison?

Actually, yes. During an interview with Inmate Willie Radkay (he shared a cell next to Machine Gun Kelly), he indicated that having your own cell was a great advantage over other federal prisons. By having your own cell, it reduced the chances of being sexually violated and the privacy aspect was also a cherished benefit. He also stated that the staff (the majority of the time) treated the inmates respectfully though they rarely spoke to one another. Furthermore, the food was the best within the entire prison system and considered his time at Alcatraz to be better than at any other penitentiary.

What did inmates dislike most about Alcatraz?

The common theme I’ve heard by most inmates (primarily in the earlier years) was the rule of silence. In the earlier years of Alcatraz, inmates were not allowed to talk to one another except during meals and recreation periods. Some inmates commonly emptied out the water from their toilets and created a primitive communications system through the sewage piping. This rule was considered harsh and inmates were disciplined for even minor violations of this code. Inmates also state that the island was always cold. Most agree that cells on their higher tiers with window views were more popular since they tended to be warmer than the ground level cells.”

Below: A photograph I took through one of the prison windows.

There were not any windows in most of the cells. But this is the view that the prisoners would have seen on brief sojourns to the dining room or to recreation time etc. It would have tormented them – so near and yet so far away – they would have glimpsed the blue ocean waves and the shoreline of San Francisco …. where life continued without them. They would have sniffed the sea air through the broken glass, heard the cry of seagulls, dreamt of freedom – but for many of those inmates their entire lives were spent in that prison, after they were incarcerated. For many it was a living death, and judging from the books and films about the place – it was a cruel and brutal place too.

“What was the average stay?

On average, the time of residence was about eight years. Men were never directly sentenced to Alcatraz and usually had to earn their way. There were only two men ever paroled directly from Alcatraz to the free world.”

~

Future Photo Friday titles:

Friday 23th May : Title by Julie: Emotion

Friday 30th May : Title by CordieB: Phantasmagoria

Friday 6th June : Title by Author: Diptychs

(or Triptychs if you prefer to use 3 images)

(Diptychs – two is better than one! Tell a story in just two frames. Get creative. Think in pairs! The aim of diptychs / triptychs is to make an interaction between two / three photos in such a way that the whole work has a greater value than its components).