01/06/1939 • 4 views
Al Capone Released from Alcatraz After Conviction and Imprisonment
On January 6, 1939, former Chicago mob boss Al Capone was released from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary to a hospital in Baltimore for continued treatment of neurosyphilis and related health complications at the end of his federal sentence.
Alphonse "Al" Capone, once the most notorious organized-crime figure in the United States, was convicted in 1931 of federal tax evasion. Sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, he served time in several facilities, including the Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary, before being transferred to the newly opened Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay in 1934. During his incarceration, Capone’s physical and mental health markedly declined; medical examinations identified advanced syphilitic infection affecting his nervous system.
Medical deterioration and transfer to Alcatraz
Capone’s move to Alcatraz came as part of the Bureau of Prisons’ effort to isolate high-profile, violent, or influential inmates. The island’s strict regimen and limited privileges were intended to prevent continued criminal influence outside prison walls. By the mid- to late-1930s, however, prison physicians observed cognitive impairment, memory loss, and other signs consistent with neurosyphilis. These health concerns increasingly shaped decisions about his custody and treatment.
Release and immediate aftermath
On January 6, 1939, Capone was released from Alcatraz and transported to the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Baltimore (sometimes described in contemporary accounts as the Federal Medical Center in Baltimore) for continued medical care. His release from federal prison was tied to the completion of most of his sentence and the recognition that he required specialized medical attention beyond what Alcatraz could provide. Authorities documented that he remained under federal supervision after transfer to medical care.
Post-release life and legacy
Capone’s time in the Baltimore hospital marked the beginning of his effective withdrawal from public life. He never returned to his former role in organized crime. Over the following years he lived primarily with his family in Florida, his condition progressively worsening due to the long-term effects of syphilis. Capone died on January 25, 1947, in Palm Island, Florida.
Historical significance
Capone’s imprisonment and eventual release illustrate several broader historical themes of the 1930s: the federal government’s expanding role in prosecuting interstate criminal activity (notably via tax law), the growth of the federal prison system exemplified by Alcatraz, and the intersection of criminal justice with medical and humanitarian considerations when inmates suffered severe illness. Contemporary reporting and later scholarship consistently note that health, rather than a formal pardon or commutation, was the principal factor prompting his transfer from Alcatraz to medical custody.
Notes on sources and certainty
The date January 6, 1939, for Capone’s transfer/release from Alcatraz to federal medical custody aligns with contemporaneous newspaper reporting and records of the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Public Health Service. Some secondary accounts vary in exact phrasing—describing the event as a "transfer," "release to a hospital," or "moved for medical care"—but agree that his departure from Alcatraz in early January 1939 was medically motivated and led to his placement in Baltimore for treatment. No credible historical source indicates Capone resumed criminal leadership after this hospitalization.