Recreation Yard (Alcatraz)
The Recreation Yard at Alcatraz was used by inmates from 1934 to 1963. It sits next to the Dining Hall, on a raised level behind a high wall and fence, with Guard Tower #3 to the west. A gun gallery was built into the dining hall wall. The yard faced the mainland and was paved in 1936.
The yard was part of the famous May 1946 escape plan, when inmates tried to get keys, kill guards, take hostages, and reach the dock. During the 1970 Occupation of Alcatraz, hundreds of Native Americans gathered in the yard to protest.
Inmates could use the yard on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays for up to five hours. Those who worked in the kitchen all week could have shorter weekday yard breaks. Bad behavior could lead to losing yard access on weekends.
People played baseball, softball, basketball, chess and other games in the yard. Baseball and softball were the most popular. The yard is small, so a section behind first base was padded to cushion crashes. Inmates got gloves, bats and balls, but no uniforms.
In 1938 there were four amateur teams—Bees, Oaks, Oilers, and Seals—and four league teams named after Major League clubs: Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, and Tigers. Notable players included Volney Davis (a pitcher for the Oilers) and Lorenzo Murrietta (a strong batter for the Cardinals, with a high batting average).
Violence occasionally occurred, including a 1956 riot sparked by racial taunts during a softball game. Inmates also used yard time to talk about crime and share plans. Famous prisoners who spent a lot of time in the yard included Machine Gun Kelly and Basil “The Owl” Banghart; Al Capone tended to avoid the yard later in his confinement.
Warden Edwin B. Swope (1948–1955) once told an inmate with a long sentence, “My boy, we’re all doing life. Every one of us is doing life.”
The Recreation Yard has appeared in many films and books, notably the 1979 movie Escape from Alcatraz, and was parodied in Naked Gun 33+1/3: The Final Insult.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:33 (CET).