President Trump floats idea of reopening Alcatraz prison
President Donald Trump floated the idea of reopening and expanding the infamous Alcatraz prison as he expressed frustration with judges.
California’s notorious and historic island prison off the coast of San Francisco has been once again thrust into the national spotlight after President Donald Trump announced May 4 that he plans to reopen Alcatraz to house the nation’s most dangerous criminals.
Alcatraz has witnessed 175 years of change since it was first established as a military outpost in 1850. It served as America’s inescapable penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, then turned over to National Park Service control in 1972, serving as a tourist attraction ever since.
The prison, also known as the Rock, was known for housing some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, such as Al Capone and other Prohibition-era gangsters, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he wanted to reopen the prison to “house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”
“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” he wrote.
Here’s what to know about Alcatraz, including why it closed.
When was Alcatraz built?
Alcatraz is an island in San Francisco Bay that was used as a prison from 1934 to 1963, according to BOP.
The island was discovered in 1775 by Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, who named it “Isla de los Alcatraces,” which translates to island of the pelicans. It was shortened and Americanized over time, which is how it became known as Alcatraz, according to the National Park Service.
It was used as a military fort from 1850 to 1933, during which military prisoners were also housed on the island, according to BOP.
In 1933, the Department of Justice took over Alcatraz to open a maximum security prison for some of the nation’s most dangerous criminals.
After 29 years of operation, Alcatraz was closed in 1963. It sat abandoned until 1969, when a group of Native American activists dubbed Indians of All Tribes occupied the island and remained there for the next two years, according to NPS.
In 1973, the NPS opened Alcatraz as a public museum. It has more than one million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular national parks, according to BOP.
Who owns Alcatraz island today?
The United States federal government owns the island, which is operated by the National Park Service.
Where is Alcatraz island located?
Alcatraz is an island in San Francisco Bay about 1.5 miles off shore and 22 acres in size, according to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. It’s about 3 miles away from the Golden Gate Bridge, according to Pacific Open Water Swim Co.
The only way to reach the island is by boat, which helped the prison maintain its physical isolation from society, according to BOP.
One of the popular rumors about Alcatraz is that it is surrounded by shark-infested waters that made it impossible to swim to the mainland’s shore. However, this rumor is untrue as there are only small bottom-feeding sharks in San Francisco Bay, according to BOP.
Several prisoners attempted to escape by swimming to the mainland, but the attempts were mostly thwarted by the water’s cold temperatures and strong current. Several people, including a few children and fitness coach Jack LaLanne, have successfully made the swim across the bay over the years, according to BOP.
Who were the most infamous inmates, from Al Capone to Birdman of Alcatraz?
Among notorious criminals to have called Alcatraz home were:
Al Capone: The notorious gangster spent four years of his 11-year prison sentence at Alcatraz after being convicted of income tax evasion in 1931.
George “Machine-Gun” Kelly: The mobster and infamous kidnapper was held at Alcatraz from 1934 to 1951.
Robert “Birdman” Stroud: The convicted killer, who was known for violence even behind bars, was incarcerated for 17 of his 54 years in prison at Alcatraz between 1934 and 1959.
Alvin Karpis: A member of the infamous “Ma Barker Gang” who was declared the FBI’s first-ever “Public Enemy No. 1,” spent 26 years at Alcatraz between 1936 and 1962, becoming the prisons longest serving inmate.
Arthur “Doc” Barker: Another member of the “Ma Barker Gang,” the gangster was sent to Alcatraz in 1936 before being shot and killed during an escape attempt in 1939.
Movies like ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ detail real escape attempts like that of Frank Morris
In addition to becoming a popular tourist destination, Alcatraz has also been the subject of numerous Hollywood portrayals over the years.
Clint Eastwood starred in the 1979 film “Escape from Alcatraz,” a biographical drama following the real escape attempt of prisoners Frank Morris and Clarence and John Anglin.
The three men disappeared from their cells in June 1962 in an elaborate plot that included mannequin dolls with real human hair left behind in their beds, according to the FBI. They’ve never been found and are still wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service, though the FBI believes the men to be dead.
“The Rock,” another film about the island titled after its nickname, was released in 1996. It stars Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris and was directed by Michael Bay.
More recently, the 2018 film “Alcatraz” is based on the so-called “Battle of Alcatraz,” a 1946 escape attempt that resulted in the deaths of two prison officers and three inmates, according to BOP.
When did Alcatraz shut down and why?
The prison on Alcatraz closed on March 21, 1963, because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to BOP.
It was nearly three times more expensive to operate Alcatraz than any other federal prison, in part because its physical isolation required food and supplies to be dropped off by boat.
The island also had no source of fresh water, so nearly one million gallons had to be barged in each week.
At the time of its closure, Alcatraz needed restoration and maintenance work that would have cost about $3-5 million, excluding its daily operation costs.
Life at Alcatraz
Beyond renowned gangsters, many of the island’s prisoners were considered escape risks or violent and dangerous, according to BOP.
Prisoners were generally sent to Alcatraz when they would not conform to rules at other federal penitentiaries. However, despite its reputation, many prisoners preferred the conditions — such as having one man per cell — at Alcatraz compared to other federal prisons.
At Alcatraz, prisoners had a highly structured, monotonous daily routine. They had four rights — food, clothing, shelter and medical care — and other privileges, such as corresponding with family members, had to be earned.
There were 14 escape attempts over the years, though no one ever successfully escaped the island, in part due to its location.
Most prisoners spent an average of five years at Alcatraz. Once the prison’s officials felt that an inmate was no longer a threat and could follow rules, they were sent back to another federal prison to complete their sentence.
Indians of All Tribes occupation
Alcatraz became the site of a massive and historic demonstration for Native American rights for 19 months between 1969 and 1971.
Activists calling themselves the “Indians of All Tribes” occupied the island and spoke out against U.S. policies stripping tribes of their ancestral lands.
“The ‘Indians of All Tribes’ used their act of civil disobedience to illustrate the troubles faced by Native Americans,” according to a BOP statement. “Initially, public support for the Native Americans’ cause was strong, and thousands of people (general public, schoolchildren, celebrities, hippies, Vietnam war protesters, Hells Angels…) came to the island over the next 18 months.”
Federal Marshals removed the last remaining demonstrators in June of 1971.
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