Alcatraz 50th anniversary

Fifty years to the day since closing its doors (to prisoners at least), Alcatraz remains a byword for punitive isolation – and it still fascinates us like no other jail.

This mysterious island complex – designed so escape would be impossible – was the unwished-for home to some of America’s most notorious criminals between 1934 and 1963.

No inmate attempting to break out is believed to have survived the 1.5-mile trip across the hazardous waters separating “The Rock” – also known as “Evil Island” by earlier Native Americans who refused to go there - from the city of San Francisco.

Of the 36 prisoners who tried to get out, 23 were caught, six were shot and killed, two drowned and five are recorded as “missing and presumed drowned”.

Alcatraz, which had previously served as a military prison prior, has spawned several movies and each year 1.3million tourists flock to the island by ferry.