Woman who lived on Alcatraz as a child talks about her experience
The prison was open for about three decades
By Amanda Hari
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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — People are continuing to react after President Donald Trump said Sunday he is directing his administration to reopen and expand Alcatraz.
The prison was open for about three decades, closing in 1963. About 1,500 prisoners lived on the island, but there were also about 60 families of staff members living there as well, including Jolene Babyak.
“You know, for kids, it was absolutely wonderful,” said Babyak about her time on the island. “There were about 75 children on the island.”
Babyak’s father worked as an administrator and later an associate warden. They lived on the island in the 50s, when she was just 7 to 9 years old, and then again when she was 15.
It was separated into two sides, on the side she was on, it was child-centered and community-oriented with things like Halloween parties, dances and bowling leagues.
“It was very, very comfortable,” Babyak emphasized. “Low-crime neighborhood, I always like to say. The prisoners were focused on the opposite of the island and the escapes, we’re in that direction, and we lived in our neighborhood and they never really came down and tried to escape from that area.”
She said that when her father came home, he never shared stories about the dark side of his time working in the prison.
“Usually, the officers like to tell the funnier stories, and not the grim stabbings and such. We didn’t hear about that too much,” said Babyak.
But those things did happen. It was a maximum security, minimum-privilege prison opened to deal with the most hardened inmates in the federal prison system. It closed in 1963.
Now, it’s a national park that more than a million people from all over the world visit it each year.
Valentina Forat was visiting with her family from Mexico.
“We got to get in the cells and it was shivery,” Valentina Forat explained.
Her brother, Lucas Forat, said he wanted to learn about its history, a history he doesn’t think should be repeated.
“I would not prefer to open it,” said Lucas Forat. “I think the prisons that are already here in the United States are very good, and we’re good without it.”
In her adulthood, Babyak has continued to learn about Alcatraz, interviewing prisoners and officers, and writing a book.
She doesn’t believe it would be feasible to reopen it.
“It would be very, very expensive,” said Babyak. “The building itself was ancient 62 years ago. It doesn’t have the infrastructure. Water and sewage being the biggest problems.”
It’s not just the expense of upgrades, but also of operation. It closed because it was too expensive, all of it’s supplies like, food, fuel, and fresh water, had to be delivered by boat.
“I think we have much more sophisticated prisons now,” explained Babyak. “You’d really have to come in and completely re-build the prison.”
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