History Main / TheAlcatraz

** Colditz was actually not a good prison, since castles are built to keep people out rather than in.

** Giacomo {{Casanova}} (yes, the [[TropeNamers/RealLife Trope Namer]]) managed to escape from the supposedly inescapable Doge's Palace. Honestly, if you can't even manage to keep locked up a man whose entire reputation is based on the fact that he's famous for sleeping with anything in a dress, you really have no business operating a prison.
*** In his day, Casanova was known as a rogue, a charlatan, a trickster, an adventurer, and a holy clerk. Who would be ''more'' likely to be able to break out of a prison? Anyone who wants to be a rogue or bard in D&D should study this guy.

** He was poisoned by the British to make sure he didn't get the chance
* Would Australia count? It was a penal (prison) colony for Britain for the greater part of the 19th century. Considering also EverythingIsTryingToKillYou in the continent as well, on land or at sea.

* The Pandorica in ''DoctorWho''. A cube a few metres across, stated by The Doctor to contain the most dangerous being in the Universe and to have multiple locks. When The Doctor comes across it it is being unlocked apparently from within, while many powerful species are gathered around it. [[spoiler: When it finally opens, the Pandorica is empty, as it is revealed that the most dangerous being in the Universe is The Doctor himself, who is then imprisoned in it. His future self breaks him out.]] Interestingly, despite the claimed security of its locks, they are easily opened by a sonic screwdriver. [[spoiler: It's actually a set up by all of the Doctor's greatest enemies, working together to trap him forever.]]

* He was poisoned by the British to make sure he didn't get the chance

* The prison planet Hades in the HonorHarrington series. She escapes. With ''500,000'' other prisoners. Although to be fair, the guards thought she was dead, and she "smuggled in" two spaceships plus enough weaponry for a small army.

'''Tosh''': Even an army can't break through. But one man - one Spectre in the right place - can find a way in.\\
* It's never actually seen in game, but the Mage PC Origin and a codex entry reference The Aeonar, a prison run by the Chantry. [[MutantDraftBoard Apostate mages]] and [[{{Faust}} maleficars]] and their conspirators are sent here. This trope doesn't apply to any prisons actually seen in the game, as the ease at which you escape or free others from them suggest they're somewhat [[CardboardPrison more fragile]].

* The ''CodexAlera'' has the Grey Tower, a prison structure built to be able to hold the most powerful Furycrafters around, up to and including the First Lord if need be. Along with the many powerful Furies guarding the building, the prison's guards, the Grey Guard, are hand picked for loyalty to the Realm and have never taken a bring in over 500 years. due either to honesty or the fact that they can receive ''twice'' the amount of the bribe by turning in the person who tried it. Only two breakouts have ever been successful, both perpetrated by the main character Tavi. The first was fairly straightforward, but the second ran into trouble thanks to security upgrades ''Tavi himself'' introduced following his first attempt.

** Level Four, the "Hell of Scorching Flames", is even hotter than Level Three (in fact, it's the heat from this level that keeps the above one hot), as a gigantic "Lake of Blood" is kept boiling hot at all times, which prisoners are dropped into regularly. Other prisoners are used to keep wood on the fire at all times.
** Level Five, the "Hell of Freezing Cold," is the [[JustForPun polar]] opposite of previous level with below freezing temperatures and wolves (which are so vicious, they actually ''preyed'' upon Level Two's magical beasts when they were initially introduced there, forcing their relocation). Similar to the famous depiction of the lowest hells by Dante.

* Impel Down in ''OnePiece'', seen above as the page picture. It probably takes the cake as ''the'' worst prison in fiction. The prison is built from the seafloor ''up'', which means the only exit is also the entrance. It is also surrounded entirely by water. Since most of the powerful pirates in the series get their strength from Devil Fruit, this automatically places SuperDrowningSkills onto them. In addition, the only way to easily get there is past one of two highly-guarded government fortresses and across a stretch of water infested with whirlpools and sea monsters, unless you are a Marine or government worker deemed important enough, in which case the way is opened. It has six levels, each progressively worse than the last to house progressively dangerous criminals, and is filled with things just waiting to kill the unlucky prisoners, including the staff.

* Meanwhile in ''TeenTitans'', they have re-opened the original Alcatraz, which is right next door to the TeenTitans, so they can keep an eye on it. Unlike its namesake and like every other prison in TheDCU, it is a CardboardPrison.

->-- '''Vyse''', ''SkiesOfArcadia''

* ''SkiesOfArcadia'' has the Valuan Grand Fortress. It consists of a mountain high stone wall (that is at least 30 yards thick) that has hundred of canons mounted on one side. The stone wall can revolve so it can shoot at either side and there are multiple ports on the inside that can allow an entire armada of airships to pour out and attack. How do the protagonists respond to such a threat? Escape of course. For good measure they do it twice.

* {{Toriko}} gives us THREE. Sky Prison, the Undersea Prison and, the biggest, Honey Prison. Only Honey Prison has been shown in detail. Do not let the name fool you, Honey Prison is a nightmare, very reminiscent of the aforementioned Impel Down. Amoung other things, the prison lies above a forest of vicious monsters that will destroy anything that moves, "Execution Beasts" guard the inside, all of whom are controlled by the warden, and prisoners are served food with their favourite parts of them removed (In the Toriko universe, this is FAR worse than it sounds). That's the first level. The other levels get progressively worse, with the final few levels being execution zones.

* The setting of MazinkaiserSKL is an island prison where three armies (well, really only two--Aira's Octagon faction is a peaceful CrystalSpiresAndTogas AmazonBrigade land implied to be the leftovers of a third, more violent faction) are kept contained by a gravity field. The Octagon, the MadMax-esque Kiba faction and the feudal Galan faction all have a component of the field's generator. Unfortunately, the field is about to break and [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroy the world...]]
* KatekyoHitmanReborn gives us the Vindicare Prison. A place where those who break TheMafia law, are kept in a comatose state in liquid PeopleJars for eternity. Only known people to escape are [[MagnificentBastard Mukuro]] and his group. However, it is noted and shown that someone on the outside can negotiate someone out through a deal.

* Peña Duro, the birthplace of ComicBook/{{Batman}} foe Bane.

* The prison camp in ''Bridge on the River Kwai'' was allegedly inescapable due to its remote location deep in the Burmese jungle. Naturally, this was proved incorrect.

* From ToyStory 3, ''Sunnyside Daycare'' takes an unusually dark turn when [[spoiler:Lots-O-Huggin Bear refuses to let the toys escape back to Andy, and has them jailed in the daycare's storage crates.]]

* The title prison in the Escape From Furnace series by Alexander Gordon Smith, a hellhole where [[BodyHorror skinless mutant dogs, humongous sociopathic guards known as 'Blacksuits', and 'wheezers', humanoid things with gas masks sewn into their faces]] roam. The reallly, really, horrible part of it is that Furnace Penitentiary is for kids and kids only, ''for the rest of their lives''. Or maybe the really horrible part is that the wheezers randomly abduct kids and take them to who-knows-where. There is nothing comedic about it.

* BatmanArkhamCity: The titular prison is an interesting example: Inmates are dumped into the Gotham Slums and allowed to do anything they want if they don't try to escape. If they do, the guards are authorized to kill them.
* The {{Gothic}} game series features one in the first game mixed with PenalColony. The prison is the magic barrier that surrounds the penal colony, but inside the colony you can do whatever you want. However, in keeping with the trope, the barrier makes escape pretty much impossible, and the whole point of the game is try and find a way past the magic walls.

* The Gulag in ModernWarfare2, too much has been said.

* AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes uses the Vault, the Big House, and the Raft mentioned in the ComicBooks section, while also using the Cube, a prison specifically designed to deal with [[ILoveNuclearPower gamma-powered supervillains.]] [[CardboardPrison The series is kicked off by a simultaneous jailbreak from all four prisons.]]

* BobAndGeorge: [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/031007c Mini Rick says the Author's prison is this.]]

* BatmanArkhamCity: The titular prison is an interesting example: Inmates are dumped into the Gotham Slums and given carte blanche to do whatever they want as long as they don't try to escape. If they do, the guards are authorized to kill them.

*** And 15 managed to escape even here (there was a 16th who got out, but he wasn't heard from again).

* Not sure how this hasn't been put in, but most of the film ''TheRock'' takes place on Alcatraz island. Inverted since the bad guys capture it and turn it into a fortress, so the Navy Seals get help breaking ''in'' from the one person who successfully escaped.

Oh, and just so you scum know- This ain't your daddy's CardboardPrison. Folks have been breaking out of that one for years now. Sometimes we make special precautions for a particularly bad prisoner, a grade A {{Oubliette}} or Room101 for all you super freaks, ain't no one gonna remember you now. Might as well go to a [[EpiphanicPrison happy place]] now, scum.

Oh, and just so you scum know- This ain't your daddy's CardboardPrison. Folks have been breaking out of that one for years now. Sometimes we make special precautions for a particularly bad prisoner, a grade A {{Oubliette}} for all you super freaks, ain't no one gonna remember you now. Might as well go to a [[EpiphanicPrison happy place]] now, scum.

* Impel Down in ''OnePiece'', seen above as the page picture. The prison is built from the seafloor ''up'', which means the only exit is also the entrance. It is also surrounded entirely by water. Since most of the powerful pirates in the series get their strength from Devil Fruit, this automatically places SuperDrowningSkills onto them. In addition, the only way to easily get there is past one of two highly-guarded government fortresses and across a stretch of water infested with whirlpools and sea monsters, unless you are a Marine or government worker deemed important enough, in which case the way is opened. It has six levels, each progressively worse than the last to house progressively dangerous criminals, and is filled with things just waiting to kill the unlucky prisoners, including the staff.

* KatekyoHitmanReborn gives us the Vindicare Prison. A place where those who break the mafia law, are kept in a comatose state in liquid PeopleJars for eternity. Only known people to escape are [[MagnificentBastard Mukuro]] and his group. However, it is noted that someone on the outside can negotiate someone out through a deal.

* Corregidor in ''{{Infinity}}''.

* In ''StarcraftII,'' no one has escaped from New Folsom in 50 years until it was broke out by Raynor's Raiders.

* Mega Unit, from ''RaveMaster'' is said to be one of these. Unfortuanatly, it's never mentioned until BigBad Lucia makes his intrance by braking through it's several yard thick solid steel walls with his bare hands and slaughtering all the guards, which gives it more of a CardboardPrison feel

* ''Face/Off'' has the secret [[SdrawkcabName Erehwon]] Prison, located on an offshore oil rig, where every prisoner wears magnetic boots that can lock them in place on command.

* Not sure how this hasn't been put in, but most of the film ''The Rock'' takes place on Alcatraz island. Inverted since the bad guys capture it and turn it into a fortress, so the Navy Seals get help breaking ''in'' from the one person who successfully escaped.

* The Pandorica in ''Doctor Who''. A cube a few metres across, stated by The Doctor to contain the most dangerous being in the Universe and to have multiple locks. When The Doctor comes across it it is being unlocked apparently from within, while many powerful species are gathered around it. [[spoiler: When it finally opens, the Pandorica is empty, as it is revealed that the most dangerous being in the Universe is The Doctor himself, who is then imprisoned in it. His future self breaks him out.]] Interestingly, despite the claimed security of its locks, they are easily opened by a sonic screwdriver. [[spoiler: It's actually a set up by all of the Doctor's greatest enemies, working together to trap him forever.]]

* In the ''Series/DungeonsandDragons'' cartoon, the "Prison of Agony" is an enormous prison suspended over a lava lake in a volcano by four enormous chains.

** Oh, and of course, you have the Marine ships surrounding the prison- and the Marines of One Piece are oh so very jumpy with their [[ AttackAttackAttack rifles, and shotguns, and pistols, and cannons...]].

** Level One is mostly a normal floor, though guarded by hulking guards with equally hulking axes. The highlight of Level One is the "Crimson Hell," a forest within the prison made up entirely of bladed "saber trees" and "needle grass." Prisoners are forced into it, being cut up at every turn and every step. The only way out is a pit located within the Lotus Hell. Adding to the sadism of it all, the pit leads to ''Level Two''.

** Oh, and of course, you have the Marine ships surrounding the prison- and the Marines of One Piece are oh so very jumpy with their rifles, and shotguns, and pistols, and cannons...