4. In spite of said theoretical plausibility of escape from Alcatraz Island, there were no confirmed escapes from the prison during its lifespan as a federal penitentiary
Earning its reputation as an “escape-proof” prison, throughout Alcatraz’s 29 years of operation there were no confirmed successful escapes by inmates. This was not due to a lack of effort, however, with 36 prisoners making 14 separate attempts, resulting in 23 being recaptured, six shot and killed, two drowned, and five “missing and presumed drowned”. Beginning with a spontaneous attempt by Joseph Bowers on April 27, 1936, the inmate, assigned trash duty, suddenly made a run for the exterior fence. Climbing the barrier, Bowers’ desperate effort was unsurprisingly noticed and, defying orders from guards to desist, was shot by his captors.
The first planned effort to thwart Alcatraz’s security came a year later, when Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe cut the iron bars of a window in one of the prison’s workshops. Leaping into the bay, the stormy weather on December 16, 1937, is believed to have rendered their survival impossible. Reflecting the limited available means to attempt an escape, the final effort, taking place in December 1962, involved a similar approach. Cutting the bars of a kitchen window, John Paul Scott and Darl Lee Parker sought to swim to the mainland. Parker gave up just 100 yards from the island, whilst Scott reached Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge where he was discovered unconscious and almost dead from hypothermia.