“If you break the rules of society, they send you to prison. If you break the prison rules, they send you to Alcatraz. -Anonymous. Once considered the prison of all American prisons, Alcatraz housed some of the most dangerous criminals in American history. Alcatraz Island opened as a prison on October 12, 1933. During its twenty-nine years of operation, Alcatraz held some of the most dangerous prisoners, with no successful escape attempts. Life on the island as a prisoner was extremely harsh. Due to high operating costs, Alcatraz prison was forced to close in 1963, where all criminals were transferred to other American prisons. Alcatraz opened to the public in 1973 as a tourist attraction, where it got more than a million visitors a year. It is the most popular prison in America. Known as The Rock, Alcatraz Island became a popular tourist attraction due to the infamous criminals who lived on the island, the famous escape attempts, and the way inmates were forced to live. One of the reasons why Alcatraz is such a popular tourist attraction is because of the vicious and murderous criminals who spent time on the island. One of the most famous gangsters, Al "Scarface" Capone lived on the island for five years. Al Capone was convicted and found guilty of tax evasion. From selling illegal alcohol, gambling and prostitution, Al Capone ran a multi-million dollar empire in the 1920s. He didn't care if he got in trouble. This is not too surprising for a criminal. Another very famous criminal who spent time in Alcatraz was Robert Stroud. "The most famous prisoner was the Alaskan murderer Robert 'Birdman' Stroud, who spent seventeen years in Alcatraz" (Alcatraz-Facts and History). R...... middle of paper ......es in the prison, like the walkways, which were nicknamed Broadway, Michigan Avenue, and Park Avenue. Tourists are always curious to know how exactly the prisoners of Alcatraz lived. Tourists have always been attracted to Alcatraz Island. They are intrigued by interesting criminals and how they live. They love the many famous escape attempts from Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz is best known as a maximum security prison and is widely regarded as the harshest prison in American history. Not only is it the safest prison, but it is also the most famous prison to date. Alcatraz prison kept some of the most dangerous prisoners behind bars, where other prisons were unable to keep them locked up and away from society. Notorious prisoners like Al Capone would continue to bribe their way out of prison and create chaos in the streets if he never went to Alcatraz??