President Donald Trump announced he wants to reopen Alcatraz, the prison near San Francisco that was featured in prominent movies and held famous criminals.
The move was unexpected and shocked many. The prison is a museum and hasn’t been in operation for decades. But Trump wants the prison to “house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”
Alcatraz hosted the world’s most dangerous criminals in the decades before it closed and may do so again if Trump’s directives are followed. Here’s more about the prison.
What is Alcatraz?
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, nicknamed “The Rock,” is located on Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco. It was opened in 1934 as one of the most secure prisons in America, bolstered by being a maximum security prison and surrounded by water.
The prison could only hold about 300 inmates. It was considered a “last resort prison” to have some of the nation’s worst inmates until it closed in 1963.
Why is Alcatraz so infamous?
The prison held Mafia boss Al Capone, gangster George Kelly Barnes or “Machine Gun Kelly,” gangster Mickey Cohen, and Harlem crime boss Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson.
Despite being rated as a maximum security prison, Alcatraz had numerous escape attempts. Only one appeared successful. Three men disappeared in June 1962, with a ruling deeming them dead from drowning. Years later, evidence emerged that at least two of the men could be alive.
The prison has been featured in many movies, such as the famous Escape From Alcatraz starring Clint Eastwood and The Rock starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage.
Why did Alcatraz prison operations close?
Maintaining Alcatraz was deemed too expensive because supplies, such as fuel and food, had to be brought by boat. The building’s infrastructure was also crumbling and would have been costly to repair. In 1959, the prison cost about three times more per prisoner than any other federal prison.
The prison closed in March 1963, just months after three inmates disappeared in that famous escape attempt. The Federal Bureau of Prisons says the cost was the main reason for its closure.
What is current-day Alcatraz, and how much money does it bring in?
Alcatraz is now a museum and tourist attraction. Visitors must purchase a ferry ticket to visit the prison. “Staff and volunteers offer a variety of programs that invite visitors to explore the complex history and legacies of Alcatraz,” its website reads.
Visitors can explore the prison, go on a guided tour, or visit exhibits.
Alcatraz receives about 1.5 million tourists and $60 million annually.
What does Trump want to change about Alcatraz?
Trump wants to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz.” It’s unclear how the president will do so because Alcatraz is currently a museum.
He wants it “to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders” while also using it as symbolism.
“We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally. The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” he wrote on Truth Social.
It’s possible Trump may want a U.S. equivalent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a highly secure and controversial prison known for housing dangerous criminals. Alcatraz once fit that mold.
Could this be done?
Alcatraz could be a place where Trump holds high-profile criminals, possibly becoming a symbol of the nation’s law and order. It would slightly bolster the U.S. prison system if it were enlarged enough, as Trump indicated he wanted, but in its current state, it can’t hold many inmates.
Alcatraz Island is under the control of the National Park Service.
For Trump to make the island a federal prison, control would have to be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It likely would have to undergo heavy renovations and other processes to revert to its status as a prison.
How are people responding?
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has represented the San Francisco area for over 38 years, criticized Trump’s plan.
“Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary more than sixty years ago. It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President’s proposal is not a serious one,” she wrote in a post on X.
TRUMP DIRECTS AGENCIES TO REBUILD AND REOPEN ALCATRAZ FEDERAL PRISON
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) has an idea for an inmate, saying in an X post, “The first person to be sent to Alcatraz should be Anthony Fauci.”
Others believe the proposal is a redirection tactic from a larger scheme. “People are talking about his Pope trolling and Alcatraz, rather than the billion dollar corruption scheme,” former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci wrote on X.
