In early November, a couple of the members of Los Angeles Paranormal Association visited Alcatraz Island.

Alcatraz island is a cold, yet beautiful place. There is no protection on this outcrop from the icy pacific gusts that assault non-stop. Birds nest here, wildflowers grow. But standing stark and ominous above it all, and clearly unforgiving, the infamous prison dominates this tiny piece of land that juts out in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Simultaneously a symbol of both despair and the undying hope of the human spirit, The Rock housed the most notorious criminals of the day. The prison was dubbed as inescapable, and some men died trying to find out if this was true.

The cracked and aged concrete walls loom high as you enter the foreboding structure, and immediately the mind begins to travel back in time. Ghosts do exist here – you can feel them all around you, as they scuffle past you in their dark uniforms, staring curiously. Here inside these walls, you are a curiousity, a reminder of worlds long ago lost. They sniff at your perfume and brush against you as you pass.

As you move deeper into the depths, you become completely possessed by the spirits of those that languished here. You too, have become a prisoner inside these walls. And when you finally pile back into the ferry that will take you safely back to the mainland, you cannot help but feel that a piece of you will forever remain behind.


I snapped this photo (above) of Cell Block A, which was the only cell block closed off to the public. The block appeared to be in a greater state of disrepair than the others. The photo was taken through the metal cage/fence that kept the public out of the run-down cell block. I did not see anyone in the cell block at the time, and I noticed nothing in the photo until i got home and blew it up on my computer screen. That’s when I saw the dark, shadowy figure at the opposite end of the block. This could potentially be the ghost of a former prisoner, either from Alcatraz’ days as a a federal prison, or perhaps earlier, from it’s days as a military prison.

I took the next photo while standing inside one of the solitary confinement cells in cell block D.


Surprisingly, it shows an odd, mist like apparition,which again, I only noticed after blowing up the photo. So, is Alcatraz haunted? You be your own judge, but I believe so, yes. Ghosts live here, at the very least.

LAPA Investigation: Alcatraz – Ghosts Live Here

*Thanks to Layla and LAPA for permission to use text and images