<P> Olin Guy Blackwell (1915--1986) was the fourth and final warden of Alcatraz . Associate Warden to Paul J. Madigan from April 1959, Blackwell served as warden of Alcatraz at its most difficult time from 1961 to 1963 when it was facing closure as a decaying prison with financing problems, coinciding with the timing of the infamous June 1962 escape from Alcatraz . At the time of the 1962 escape he was on vacation in Lake Berryessa in Napa County, and he didn't believe the men could have survived the waters and made it to shore . Blackwell was considered to have been the least strict warden of Alcatraz, perhaps in part due to him having been a heavy drinker and smoker, nicknamed "Gypsy" and known as "Blackie" to his friends . He was said to have been an excellent marksman who had earlier served as Associate Warden of Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary . </P> <P> An inmate register reveals that there were 1,576 prisoners in total held at Alcatraz during its time as a Federal Penitentiary, although figures reported have varied and some have stated 1557 . The prison cells, purposefully designed so that none adjoined an outside wall, typically measured 9 feet (2.7 m) by 5 feet (1.5 m) and 7 feet (2.1 m) high . The cells were primitive with a bed, a desk and a washbasin and toilet on the back wall and few furnishings except a blanket . An air vent, measuring 6 inches (150 mm) by 9 inches (230 mm), covered by a metal grill, lay at the back of the cells which led into the utility corridors . Prisoners had no privacy in going to the toilet and the toilets would emit a strong stench because they were flushed with salt water . Hot water faucets were not installed until the early 1960s, shortly before closure . </P> <P> The penitentiary established a very strict regimen of rules and regulations under the title "the Rules and Regulations for the Government and Discipline of the United States Penal and Correctional Institutions" and also a "Daily Routine of Work and Counts" to be followed by the prisoners and also the guards; copies of these were provided to the prisoners to read and follow . Inmates were basically entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention . Anything else was seen as a privilege . Inmates were given a blue shirt, grey pants (blue and white in later years), cotton long underwear, socks and a blue handkerchief; the wearing of caps was forbidden in the cellhouse . Cells were expected to be kept tidy and in good order . Any dangerous article found in the cells or on inmates such as money, narcotics, intoxicating substances or tools which had the potential to inflict injury or assist in an escape attempt was considered contraband and made the prisoners eligible for disciplinary action . It was compulsory for prisoners to shave in their cells three times a week . Attempting to bribe, intimidate, or assault prison officers was seen as a very serious offense . African - Americans were segregated from the rest in cell designation due to racial abuse being prevalent . Toilet paper, matches, soap, and cleanser were issued to the cells on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and inmates could request hot water and a mop to clean their cells . The bars, windows and floors of the prison were cleaned on a daily basis . In earlier years there was a strict code of silence but by the 1950s this had relaxed and talking was permitted in the cellhouse and dining hall provided conversations were quiet and there was no shouting, loud talking, whistling or singing . </P> <P> Prisoners would be woken at 6: 30 am, and sent to breakfast at 6: 55 am . After returning to the cell, inmates then had to tidy their cell and place the waste basket outside . At 7: 30 am, work started in the shifts for those privileged enough to do so, punctuated by a whistle, and prisoners would have to go through a metal detector during work shifts . If assigned a job, prisoners had to accept that line of work; prisoners were not permitted to have money in their possessions but earnings went into a prisoner's Trust Fund . Some of the prisoners were assigned duties with the guards and foremen in the Laundry, Tailor Shop, Cobblers Shop, Model Shop etc. and in gardening and labor . Smoking, a privilege, was permitted in the workplace providing there wasn't any hazardous condition, but inmates were not permitted to smoke between the recreation yard and work . Lunch was served at 11: 20 am, followed by a 30 - minute rest in the cell, before returning to work until 16: 15 . Dinner was served at 16: 25 and the prisoners would then retire to their cells to be locked in for the night at 16: 50, and lights went off at 21: 30 . After being locked in for the night, 6 guards usually patrolled the four cell blocks . Many prisoners have compared their duration at Alcatraz to hell and would have preferred death to continued incarceration . </P>

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