When we think of prisons that were supposedly escape proof, one of the first ones that usually comes to mind is Alcatraz. This prison was on an island surrounded by vicious currents and located in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz island wasn't always a prison, as a matter of fact, its original purpose was to sustain a lighthouse. It got that lighthouse in 1853 and it was sorely needed, because the gold rush brought thousands of ships into San Francisco Bay. About the same time, the Corps of Engineers began to fortify the island. In about 1854 the island was garrisoned. When the Civil War started, the island fort had 85 cannons and by 1866 it had 105. The cannons were never fired once in defense. As a matter of fact, the fort was used as a prison for Confederate sympathizers. Little did anyone know at the time, that this would be the future of the place, a prison, but not only a prison, but one of the most famous prisons in the world. There were not many escapes from the famous Alcatraz prison. This was due to not only the currents surrounding the island, but also to the tight security imposed by the guards.

Another famous prison was Devil's Island. This was located on a tiny island off the coast of French Guiana. Devil's Island made Alcatraz look like a resort. This prison was opened in 1852 by Napoleon III. It wasn't a popular place with its neighbors. The conditions of forced labor, diseases, heat and terrible living conditions, contributed to many deaths. A law was passed that said that when a prisoner served his sentence, he had to stay in French Guiana for the term of his served sentence, after he was released. In other words, if he had been lucky enough to stay alive after serving a 10 year sentence, he now had to remain in French Guiana for another 10 years, before being able to return home. You wouldn't have wanted to be a guard there either, they were subject to the same diseases and some of the prisoners became so desperate to try and escape, that they would kill a guard. There was really only two ways to go if you tried to escape. One was into the jungle, but this was an island and the jungle was what was known as impenetrable. The guards wouldn't go after you, because they knew that the jungle was a death trap. What they did was hire some of the released prisoners and they would hunt down their comrades. There was no lack of volunteers.

Devil's Island
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There were far more escapes and attempted escapes from Devil's Island than Alcatraz, yet Devil's Island was surrounded by a current so perilous that the French had to build a rope and pulley system to have supplies sent to the island from St. Joseph, which was located about 200 meters away, because it was too dangerous for boats to land there. If you were serious about really wanting to escape, without being caught, about the only chance you had was to buy a small boat from a local fisherman, who would hide it in the jungle somewhere. This still didn't give you much of a chance, because most of the boats got wrecked by the currents and waves. Even if you did make it out to the ocean, you weren't welcomed in the neighboring countries, who just sent prisoners back to the French. You can't blame them, who would welcome escaped prisoners?

The most famous of all the escaped prisoners became Henri Charrière, who wrote Papillon, which is said to be his auto biography. The book tells of his trials and tribulations and finally his escape on a raft made from bags of coconuts. He wasn't alone, he was with another prisoner who fell off the raft and sunk in quicksand. Many say that his book is full of deeds that were performed by other prisoners for which he takes credit for. Amazing as his escape was, there was another who escaped, who led an incredible life. His name was Charles Di Rudio. He was sent to Devil's Island after his death sentence was commuted. He wasn't there long when he saw his chance and escaped by boat, which in itself was quite a task to survive. He eventually made it to America and joined the Seventh Calvary and fought in the American Civil War. Somehow he managed to survive again. When the war was over he stayed in the army under Custer and fought at the Little Bighorn. He was one of the only survivors. I believe that this man just wasn't meant to die before a certain time. I can't help but find his story the most interesting one of all the escapes, because of his life after Devil's Island. Many years later, during an interview, he stated that he was the only soldier to have a saber with him at the battle. There was one other officer who did, but he didn't know that. He had refused to surrender it, even when Custer scolded him for having accepted it as a gift from his former Company G in 1870. He retired as a Captain and lived until 1910. This is who the movie should have been made about.

Today Devil's Island has become a sort of tourist attraction. The Warden's house has become a French Restaurant. Devil's Island had over 80,000 prisoners and out of that amount, 50,000 died. As I said, even if you got out, you had to spend the term of your past sentence again in French Guiana. The island is only a stone's throw off the coast of Cayenne. Tours are conducted that usually last half a day, and modern boats have no problem getting to the island and back. The Devil's Island resort is not actually on Devil's Island , but on Isle Royale, where you can sleep in the former guard's mess. The prison on Devil's Island itself, was usually reserved for political prisoners. The rest of the prisoners were sent to the penal colony, where there were a couple of different places they were kept, according to what crimes they had committed. There were 3 islands in the penal system and on the mainland were the main penitentiary and administrative offices. Almost everyone of the thousands of prisoners who tried to escape, died in the attempt.

Prison systems come and go, but the French who ran Devil's Island would probably turn over in their graves, if they examined the prison system in the U.S. today. Can you imagine what they would think of cable tv and workout gyms? They didn't need stuff like this to keep their prisoners occupied. They had lumbering, building maintenance and road building to keep everyone in line. One of their projects was a long road that went nowhere. If the prisoners didn't repair their quarters satisfactorily, they just had to live with what they did. Many of them were living in small cells that were open to the elements and when it would rain, the cell floors would flood. This prisoners certainly weren't pampered and there was no one saying that they had to keep them happy, because it was for the safety of the guards. The prison was closed in the early 1950s.