Prisoner at Alcatraz

An eyewitness account of a dramatic escape attempt from the world's most secure prison

Jim Quillen, born in 1919, had a difficult childhood. Lacking a family background, he regularly came into conflict with the law as a teenage boy. In 1942, twenty-two-year-old Jim was on the run from San Quentin Prison, where he was serving an eighteen-month sentence for robbery. He thought he had escaped until he was caught and sentenced to forty-five years in federal prison, including ten years in the infamous Alcatraz prison.

"I was shaken, when I realized I'm not human anymore, but AZ586, prisoner, sentenced to forty-five years in prison."

Jim's autobiography focuses on his ten-year incarceration at "The Rock," a former federal prison on the California island of Alcatraz. One of the key stories is the attempted escape of a group of prisoners in 1946, in which several prisoners and guards died. The fight between the prisoners and the guards, reinforced by the Marines, lasted for forty-six hours and is called the "Battle of Alcatraz." Jim says this bloodshed was inevitable because of the brutality of the prison system. He calls Alcatraz "a prison whose sole purpose was to humiliate, degrade and break the prisoners." But Jim never gives up his desire for freedom; What bothers him most is the constant surveillance and security measures that make escape virtually impossible. With the experience of two escapes from state prison, including the one from San Quentin (during which he took two hostages), he is nevertheless considering an escape from Alcatraz.

Given his life history, most readers will probably not sympathize with his complaints about overly strict security measures. But the details of prison life are far more interesting than the failed attempt to overcome the prison system. In this emotional memoir, written with deliberate restraint, Jim recounts his long journey from crime to punishment to a return to polite society.

After many years, Jim Quillen returned to the island, which has since become a National Park. For many years, he was its most famous volunteer - telling about his past in an audio guide to visitors who are fascinated by his experiences.

The book includes an extensive photographic appendix including a map of Alcatraz prison.