Alcatraz Island was reserved for military use in 1850 by President Millard Fillmore, and within several years a fortress was constructed on the rugged terrain.
During the American Civil War, the U.S army began to hold military prisoners on the Island. As the entire complex was surrounded by cold, harsh waters, it was deemed impossible to escape from, and therefore ideal as a prison.
It was in 1933 when the military handed Alcatraz Island over to the U.S Justice Department to be used as a high security federal prison. The Justice Department wanted a facility which could hold criminals deemed to be too dangerous for standard prisons. Alterations were made, to ensure the levels of security were high enough to hold such dangerous prisoners,and the facility officially opened on 1st July 1934.
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