Alcatraz, a prison island, an old prison, excursions in the bay of San Francisco, USA

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Alcatraz is an island in the San Francisco Bay. Since 1861 it  functioned as a prison for especially dangerous criminals. Despite the fact that the prison is considered an over-protected facility, several escapes were made from here in the 1930-40-50's. One of such escapes comes alive in the Escape from Alcatraz movie with Clint Eastwood in the lead role. Alcatraz was the place of confinement for many famous criminals, including Al Capone.

In 1971, after the prison was closed, the island was made part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Zone, and in 1973 the island was opened to the general public. Today, about one million people visit the Alcatraz annually.