A service program showing a reading led by Bonnie and Clyde’s former chauffeur, Floyd Hamilton.

A contemporary photograph showing the entrance to the Chapel from the administration area.

Separate services were provided for the prisoners of various denominations. The Pastor of the Calvary Presbyterian Church of San Francisco held Protestant services in the chapel on the first and third Sunday of the month. A priest from St. Anne's Church in San Francisco conducted Catholic services on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. And on some occasions, a visiting Rabbi and members of the Jewish Committee on Personal Service held Jewish services.

The Chaplains, or “Sky Pilots” as inmates commonly referred to them were permitted to make Saturday visits to the recreation yard with the prisoners. The Chaplain would spend his time offering personal counsel to those who sought assistance. The resident Chaplain (a position that was established in 1936) was also granted an active seat on the Classification Committee. This committee was comprised of senior correctional officers, chief medical officer and the Warden. The committee reviewed the progress of each inmate and recommended programs to help in their rehabilitation. The most famous inmate to assume the role of altar boy was Machine Gun Kelly and he held the position for several years. The Chaplain also assisted in facilitating and providing oversight of the educational programs for inmates. A Bureau of Prisons bulletin offered inmates various programs in which to enroll:

For those interested in really improving their time, extension courses are available through the courtesy and cooperation of The University of California, Pennsylvania State College, and the International Correspondence School. Because of space limitations and the essential restrictions of maximum custody, classroom activity is not possible. However, inmate students show keen interest in education and enroll in a variety of subjects ranging from differential calculus to foreign languages to English and engineering. Art, too, is a popular outlet; approximately twenty percent of the population do some painting in oils or in pastels. Exhibitions of their work have been displayed in the San Francisco area and in Washington, D.C.

A request to the chaplain by George “Machine Gun” Kelly to be allowed to take an elementary Spanish course.

The Prison Industries

Inmates in the recreation yard lining up in single file, awaiting a count and escort to their work assignment.

Inmates lined up according to their work assignment.

Prisoners are seen here walking down through a metal detector on their way to their work assignment in the Industries. The small building in the foreground is the dry-cleaning plant.

A photograph series showing the Tailor and Glove Shops.

A distant view of an inmate at work in the Cobbler Shop.

The Blacksmith Shop.

The New Industries Building under construction in 1940. Note the special barbwire walkway constructed for inmates to pass over, and the small protruding island (left) known as “Little Alcatraz.”

A correctional officer sitting next to office chairs built by Alcatraz inmates.

Office furniture built by prison labor at Alcatraz.

A present-day view of the Prison Industries Building.

The interior of the abandoned New Industries Building following the prison’s closure. All that remains is the rusted equipment left from the prison.

A present day view of the old Model Industries Building. Following the completion of the New Industries Building in 1941, the upper floors were abandoned and used only for storage.

Coast Guard survey photos showing the workshops following the prison’s closure.

Warden Johnston believed in managing Alcatraz as an institution for rehabilitation. When Johnston assumed his post as Warden in 1934, he brought with him the vision that Alcatraz would not be the final stop for any inmate. He wrote that after his tenure at Folsom and San Quentin, that if he had to manage any prison upon condition, that his choice would be only one thing, an agency for reform. Johnston wanted the inmates to develop work skills that they could carry with them to the outside. He felt the rigid structure would offer his men an advantage back in the outside world as they would become accustomed to a hard day’s work and a strong work ethic. Inmates earned their right to work by conforming to the rules and regulations of the prison. Phil Bergen later recalled:

At Alcatraz, we always a felt a greater responsibility towards the inmates rather than simply confining them. Inmates learned skills that could be translated to meaningful employment upon their release. Many inmates took considerable pride in the quality of their work. Whether it was making furniture or cleaning an assigned area, the inmates usually did exceptional work.

In 1960, the Bureau of Prisons published an informational booklet that briefly described the operational features of Alcatraz. One of the items featured was the Prison Industries:

Alcatraz, in common with other institutions throughout the Federal Prison System carries out a program of constructive work activity for all inmates who are physically qualified. All employment other than that needed for the maintenance of the prison is under the jurisdiction of Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated. Men assigned to the various shops receive modest wages, as well as certain reductions in sentence over and beyond that regularly awarded for proper conduct and good behavior in prison.