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Devil's Island ( Îsle du Diable ) Probably the most notorious prison in the world in terms of the harshness of its regime and position. The island is situated in the Atlantic off the coast of French Guiana (a small dependency on the N.E. coastline of S.America) and was in use from 1852 to 1946. Its most famous prisoner was Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French army officer, who was (wrongly) convicted of espionage and imprisoned here from 1894 to 1899; though he was not finally cleared of all charges until 1906. It is now a launching site for space satellites. Alcatraz ( aka 'The Rock' ) This is sited on an island in San Francisco Bay. It was built for the military in the 1850's and used by them, as a fort and a prison until 1933 when it passed to the Department for Justice and became a civil prison until it was closed in 1963. Its most famous prisoner was Al Capone. It is now a tourist attraction. Château d'If ( pronounced: shat-o-deef ) This is a fortress (= château) built on the rocky islet of If (hence: Château d'If). It is 2 miles off the French port of Marseilles which it was intended to guard against a seaward attack. It was built from 1524 - 31, and then in 1580 it was taken into use as a state prison for those convicted of serious political and religious crimes. Its most famous (fictional!) prisoner was Edmund Dantès. It is now a tourist attraction.
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