Rufus McCain
{{Short description|Alcatraz Prison inmate (1903–1940)}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| birth_name = Rufus Roy McCain
| birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1903|07|07}}
| birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1940|12|03|1903|07|07}}
| death_place = Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, San Francisco, California, U.S.
| known_for = attempted escape from Alcatraz
}}
Rufus Roy McCain (July 7, 1903 – December 3, 1940){{Cite web|url=http://www.notfrisco2.com/alcatraz/bios/mccain/mcstab.html|title=Alcatraz – The McCain Stabbing 1/2|website=www.notfrisco2.com|access-date=2019-12-26}} was a prisoner at Alcatraz who attempted escape with Henri Young and Arthur Barker in 1939.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0WrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 |title=Ghosts and Legends of Alcatraz|last=Clune|first=Bob Davis and Brian|date=2019|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4671-4387-5|language=en}}
Escape Attempt
On the night of January 13, 1939, Rufus McCain, Henri Young, Arthur "Doc" Barker, Dale Stamphill, and William Martin, attempted to escape from the Rock.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} The five men escaped from the isolation unit of the cell house by sawing through the iron cell bars and bending the bars on the window. They then went to the water's edge, where correctional officers found them on the shoreline on the west side of the island. Martin, Young, and McCain surrendered.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} The guards shot at Barker and Stamphill when they refused to surrender, and Barker eventually died from his injuries.“BOP: Alcatraz.” Federal Bureau of Prisons, www.bop.gov/about/history/alcatraz.jsp. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
McCain and Young were sentenced to almost 22 months each in the solitary confinement cells of D-Block, a punishment that subjected them to severe isolation and minimal human interaction.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} Locked in their cells for nearly 23 hours a day, they experienced only occasional moments outside for showers or solitary exercise.Cairns, James A. An Analysis of Past and Current Uses of Solitary Confinement and Recommendations for Best Practices Moving Forward. University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 2021. Approved by Dr. Mike Klemp-North, Ph.D. This form of punishment is widely recognized as one of the harshest forms of punishment. Current research shows that solitary confinement, especially for extended periods of time with extreme conditions, is harmful to the incarcerates' mental well-being. Few if any other forms of punishment produce as much psychological trauma and symptoms.Arrigo, Bruce A., Heather Y. Bersot, and Brian G. Sellers, “Inmate Mental Health, Solitary Confinement, and Cruel and Unusual Punishment”, The Ethics of Total Confinement: A Critique of Madness, Citizenship, and Social Justice, American Psychology-Law Society Series (2011; online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Sept. 2011),
After their time in solitary confinement, Young and McCain returned to the normal prison population in Alcatraz. Returning to normal prison life meant adapting to the highly regimented and strict environment overseen by Warden James Johnston, known for his disciplinarian approach. Johnston considered work not to be a right, but a privilege to be earned. Like all other prisoners, McCain and Young had to apply to Warden Johnston for a work assignment.Grassick, Mary. “Historic Furnishings Report.” National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior, 2005, www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/goga/alcatraz_hfr.pdf. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024. McCain was assigned to the tailoring shop and Young to the furniture shop located directly upstairs.
Death
On December 3, 1940, Young waited until just after the {{Nowrap|10 a.m.}} count to run downstairs and stab McCain with a sharpened wooden spoon. McCain fell quickly into shock and died five hours later. Young refused to disclose his motive for the murder and the purpose of his actions remain to be unknown.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://crimemagazine.com/alcatraz.htm Alcatraz: Rigid and Unusual Punishment]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCain, Rufus}}
Category:Escapees from United States federal government detention
Category:Inmates of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Category:American people who died in prison custody
Category:Deaths by stabbing in California
Category:Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention