The Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series is a biweekly program on Alcatraz Island that lifts up and highlights the voices of people who have spent time inside of jails and prisons. The National Park Service believes in parks as platforms for dialogue, and Alcatraz Island, being one of the only NPS sites that interprets mass incarceration, works directly with people who have been affected in order to give them a platform to showcase their stories.

Speaking event starts at 2 PM in the New Industries Building.

To purchase ferry tickets to the island, visit the Alcatraz City Cruises website. If you are a community leader working with the formerly incarcerated community and you would like to bring a group to an upcoming program in the series, please email us. If you have any accessibility needs such as ASL translation, please contact goga_accessibility@nps.gov at least 5 days in advance.

For more information on the Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series, or other community outreach initiatives (including ranger-led programs), please contact e-mail us.

2025 Speaker Series Dates:

• May 17, 24
• June 7, 14
• July 12, 19
• August 2, 9, 16
• September 6, 13

Seating is first-come-first-serve and may be limited. Your island ticket is sufficient for admission, reservations are not required.