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How many prisoners attempted to escape from Alcatraz during its operation?
Executive summary
Reporting on Alcatraz’s breakouts varies slightly by source but the dominant, repeated figure is that 36 inmates were involved in 14 separate escape attempts during the prison’s federal operation (1934–1963) — sometimes summarized as “36 men tried to escape” or “36 inmates in 14 attempts” [1] [2] [3] [4]. Some institutions report different tallies (for example, the National Park Foundation gives “42 inmates attempting to escape”), which reflects differing counting methods and interpretations of events [5].
1. The commonly cited tally: 36 men, 14 attempts — the official/majority view
Most official and long-form histories repeat that 36 inmates were involved in 14 documented escape attempts over Alcatraz’s federal years, 1934–1963. The FBI’s summary and multiple history outlets use the “36 men, 14 escapes” formulation, and the Bureau of Prisons’ history page makes the same count while breaking down outcomes (23 recaptured, 6 shot and killed, 2 drowned, etc.) [1] [3] [4].
2. Why counts differ: who gets included and how events are classified
Discrepancies—such as the National Park Foundation’s statement that 42 inmates attempted escape—stem from differences in what is counted: whether attempted breakouts that were foiled very early, multi-person incidents counted separately or together, inmates who tried more than once, or incidents before/after the formal federal penitentiary era [5]. Some lists count individual tries (36 individual men, with two trying twice resulting in 36 attempts by some tallies), while others count total persons ever involved (which can bump the number) or include non-federal-era incidents [2] [3].
3. How sources break down outcomes — context on “successful” vs “attempted”
Most reliable summaries emphasize that there are no confirmed successful escapes from Alcatraz to the mainland. Encyclopaedia Britannica, for example, states that of 14 attempted breakouts, 12 definitively failed and there are “no known successful escapes,” though it notes uncertainty about a few cases like the June 1962 disappearance [6]. The FBI’s historical page likewise records the famous 1962 escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers as unresolved, and repeats the 36/14 count [1] [7].
4. The famous outlier: June 1962 and why it fuels debate
The June 1962 disappearance of Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin is the best-known outlier. They left the island and were never conclusively found; authorities have long presumed they likely drowned but their ultimate fate remains officially unresolved. This case is why some sources hedge on “successful” versus “attempted” language, even while maintaining the 36/14 statistics for total attempts [8] [1] [7] [9].
5. Primary source nuance — Bureau of Prisons and FBI tallies
The Bureau of Prisons’ historical overview and the FBI’s case pages are consistent in using the 36-inmates / 14-attempts metric and give detailed outcome counts (caught, shot, drowned, etc.), which is why many secondary histories adopt the same framing [4] [1]. Those institutional tallies reflect the penitentiary’s official incident records rather than local folklore or park interpretive simplifications.
6. Alternate tallies and why tourist/park sources sometimes report higher numbers
National Park Foundation and some visitor-focused materials sometimes report larger totals (e.g., 42 inmates) for dramatic effect or because they include attempted escapes outside the strict federal timeframe, include extra peripheral incidents, or count individuals differently [5]. These versions are not necessarily wrong, but they reflect a broader or different interpretive lens than the federal records [5].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking a concise answer
If you want the figure most historians and federal sources use: 36 prisoners were involved in 14 escape attempts during Alcatraz’s operation as a federal penitentiary (1934–1963) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Be aware that some reputable organizations and popular accounts use different counts (for example, 42) because of different inclusion rules or emphases [5].
Limitations and next steps: counting historic escapes depends on definitions (who counts as an “escape attempt,” whether repeat attempts are tallied separately, and which period is included). If you want a line-by-line reconciliation of each incident and which sources include or exclude each person, I can compile a comparative table showing the incidents and how the major sources classify them (using the provided references).