A photograph showing the original D Block during the final construction phase in March of 1911. Note the dirt floor prior to cementing, the flat steel bars, and the group of open swing-out doors on the second tier.

The Alcatraz Military Prison cellhouse was completed in 1912. This was the largest steel-reinforced concrete structure in the world at the time of its construction, and it was designed to house six hundred inmates. The new military super-prison opened on February 6, 1912.

The main corridor of Alcatraz, known as “Broadway.”  This 1912 photograph looks toward the east end of the cellhouse. The cell door lock mechanisms were controlled by simple swing arm levers (seen on the left). Also note the absence of the Gun Gallery, as compared to later photographs from the Federal prison period.

The area which would later be known as “Michigan Avenue,” in 1912.

A military prison sentry patrolling A Block in 1932.

A view of the ramps leading to the prison auditorium and administration wing. These ramps and spiral staircases were removed from the refurbished cellblocks in 1934.

A view of A Block as it appears today. Also visible is the entrance to the basement or “dungeon” cells as prisoners referred to them.

A modern view of the flat steel bars from the military era. Note the primitive lock bar mechanism.

An early photograph of the new Mess Hall during the military period.

Alcatraz was the Army's first long-term prison, and it was beginning to build its reputation as a tough detention facility by exposing the inmates to severe and harsh confinement conditions and iron-handed discipline. The prisoners were divided into three classes based on their conduct and the crimes they had committed, and each class held distinct levels of privilege. The system was described in a manual of Alcatraz Rules and Regulationsfrom 1914:

Classification of Prisoners:

General Prisoners will be received in first class with exceptions made by the Commandant only. Third class men will be promoted to second-class and second-class men to first class after two and one half months excellent conduct respectively. Promotions, paroles, and reductions will be made by the Commandant only. Promotion Order will be issued on the 15 ^thof each month. Any first class prisoner may be paroled (under 943 A.R.) after serving half of his sentence.... Class will be designated by a cloth badge 2 ¹/ ₂inches by ¹/ ₂inch, white, red, and yellow for first, second and third class respectively, on a brown cloth patch 3 ¹/ ₂by 1 ¹/ ₂inches which will be sewed on a sleeve of right arm above cuff. Paroled prisoners will be designated by a white triangular cloth badge 1 ¹/ ₂inches to a side which will be sewed on the sleeve directly above the class badge.

The quarters, mess tables and benches in the Assembly Room of disciples will be separated from those of other general prisoners by an aisle. There will be no correspondence between such prisoners. Similarly the Quarters and Mess tables of enlisted prisoners will be separated from all general prisoners by an aisle.

Privileges:

Third class prisoners will enjoy the letter and tobacco privilege only. Segregated prisoners and 2 ^ndclass prisoners will enjoy letter and tobacco privileges in addition the library privilege once a week and entertainment privilege once a week, by detachment, as segregated. The second-class men making a separate detachment. First class prisoners will in addition enjoy the privilege of closed but unlocked door to individual quarters, between Reveille and Tattoo... The disciples will in addition have the privilege of open doors from Reveille to Tattoo, talking in quarters and visiting in day room.

Prisoners who violated the rules faced harsh disciplinary measures. In addition to losing their earned class rankings, violators were assigned other punishments including but not limited to hard labor details, wearing a twenty-four pound ball and ankle chain, and solitary lock-downs with a highly restricted bread and water diet. In his book entitled Alcatraz 1868-1963, author John Goodwin referred to the use of disciplinary cages that were merely twelve inches deep and twenty-three inches wide, thus “forcing anyone locked inside to remain standing throughout his confinement.”  The cages were used specifically for inmates termed as “conscientious objectors.”  These were men who had objected to military service during World War I, based on religious or political beliefs. The National Civic Liberty Bureau claimed that several of these inmates were confined in the disciplinary cages for ten-day stretches, and that upon being released they would collapse to the floor. Prison officials, however, claimed that the cages were to be used only in the most extreme cases.

The “Torture Cages” that were installed at Alcatraz during World War I as seen in a San Francisco Examiner illustration. In later years an inmate work crew cleaning out a storage area located a broken pillory device. One of the inmates recalled a guard jokingly referring to it as an “Alcatraz Life Preserver.”

A 1918 photograph of the Alcatraz Medical Unit Staff. During this era, the prison maintained an advanced medical center that included full surgical, dental, and laboratory facilities.

The average age of law-offending soldiers was twenty-four and they were generally serving short-term sentences for desertion or lesser crimes. However, it wasn't uncommon to find soldiers serving longer sentences for the more serious crimes of insubordination, assault, larceny and murder. One interesting element of the military order was that prisoner's cells could be used only for sleeping, unless the prisoner was in lock-down status. All inmates were prohibited from visiting their cells during the day. Inmates with first or second class rankings were allowed to go anywhere about the prison grounds, with the firm exception of the guards’ quarters on the upper levels.

Despite stringent rules and harsh standards for those convicted of thuggish crimes, Alcatraz primarily functioned in a minimum-security capacity. The types of work assignments given to inmates varied depending on the prisoner, their assigned prison class and how responsible they were. Many prisoners worked as general servants, who cooked, cleaned, and attended to household chores for island families. In many cases select prisoners were entrusted to care for children who lived on the island. Alcatraz was also home to several Chinese families who were employed as staff servants, and during this period they represented the majority of the island’s civilian population.