Worst of all, perhaps, was the rule that stated inmates could not speak to each other except during mealtimes (and their occasional opportunities for exercise in the yard). Couple this with the long stretches of the day they were confined to their cells for, and it’s no surprise that, per Alcatraz History, some turned to trying to communicate through the bowls in the toilets of their cells, desperate for some kind of interaction. 

This particular rule was relaxed by the beginning of the 1940s, considered inhumane even by Alcatraz standards. Even so, slight infractions were punished very harshly indeed. Prisoners on Block D had to remain in their cells around the clock (except for occasional exercise)  and those who continued to be quarrelsome could even be condemned to this block’s dreaded cells known as The Hole. Factinate reports that these inmates were beaten and left in almost complete darkness, with scant access to any food at all.

There were certain benefits to incarceration in Alcatraz over other prisons. The food, for instance, tended to be as elaborate as pork chops and balanced breakfasts (per Bon Appétit), as the Alcatraz warden once stated that “most trouble in prison is caused by bad food.” However, the harsh restrictions, hard work and the status of fellow inmates made simply surviving there a trial.