They say it was impossible to escape from alive (with perhaps one famous exception). Now, Donald Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz prison and fill it with America’s “most ruthless” criminals.Â
It has been decades since the last inmate was moved out of the island penitentiary, which is now a major tourist hotspot attracting more than a million visitors a year.
But the president says he wants it “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” to serve as a “symbol of law, order and justice” in his America.
What is Alcatraz prison and did anyone ever escape?
Located on the island of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, just over a mile from the city, the prison dates back to the mid-19th century.
It features a three-story building with four main cell blocks as well as a lighthouse that looks out over the bay.
The strong currents around the island and cold waters made successful escape nearly impossible – though some did manage to survive the swim to shore.
The prison claims that no inmates ever successfully escaped, presumably meaning that nobody ever survived to enjoy their liberty.
In the most famous attempt, John Anglin, his brother Clarence and Frank Morris made it out of the prison and into the water.
They are believed to have drowned but their bodies were never found, leading to speculation that they survived – a story told in the Hollywood film Escape From Alcatraz.
What was it like inside Alcatraz prison?
While it was home to some famous names like Al Capone and George ‘Machine-Gun’ Kelly, the majority of inmates at Alcatraz were sent there from other prisons for flouting the rules or were considered violent and dangerous or escape risks.
The average population was only around 260-275 inmates – less than 1% of all those in federal prisons.
Inside, prisoners were always in individual cells with a highly structured, monotonous daily routine designed to teach prisoners how to follow rules and regulations.
While on the island, inmates only had four rights: food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Everything else was considered a privilege that had to be earned, from working to sending letters to family members.
Despite the rigid structure, several inmates actually requested to be moved to Alcatraz, believing the living conditions were better there than elsewhere.
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Why did they shut Alcatraz prison?
Despite its reputation and secure facilities, Alcatraz closed in March 1963 after 29 years of operation.
The reason? Cost.
The prison needed an estimated $3-5 million ($31-52m in today’s money) for restoration and maintenance work alone to keep the prison open.
It was also hugely expensive to run, costing more than three times more per day, per prisoner, than a facility in Atlanta.
Because Alcatraz prison is on an island, it had to be entirely supplied with food and fuel by boat. It didn’t even have a source of fresh water, so that had to be brought in too.
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So… what does Trump want to do with it?
The announcement came, as they often do, on President Trump’s social media: “I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”
It’s the latest salvo in his drive to overhaul how and where federal prisoners and immigration detainees are locked up.
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Reopening the prison would likely be a hugely complex and expensive operation.
But the president says Alcatraz will serve as a “symbol of law, order and justice” and it may be that the decision to reopen it is also more about what he thinks it represents, rather than strictly for practical reasons.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders”.
