ABSTRACT
Prisons are a source of fascination for many of us. Although prisons are intended to repel us, they seem to be a source of mysterious interest. Moviemakers have capitalized on this interest with countless movies set in real or fictitious prisons, especially traditional “Big House” prisons such as Sing Sing or Walla Walla. Another testimony to the uncanny attractiveness of prisons is the conversion of Alcatraz, the former disciplinary prison of the federal prison system, to a museum where tourists can walk around and even be locked in a cell for a few minutes of imaginary incarceration.
