Donald Trump is facing criticism over his proposal to revive Alcatraz as a contemporary, operational penitentiary, with specialists indicating that it could require substantial funding and decades of effort to achieve this transformation.
That is assuming he aims to reach that level.
“REBUILD, AND OPEN
ALCATRAZ
!”
President Trump bellowed
On Truth Social Sunday night, he posted an attack on criminals and “the scum of society” for having been in America “for far too long.”
The U.S. president informed journalists on Sunday that the concept stemmed from his irritation with “extremist judges” who were alleged to have
slowing down his deportations
.
However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic representative from California whose constituency encompasses the island, expressed doubts about the viability of reinstating the prison after such an extended period. “Currently, it functions as a widely visited national park and significant tourist destination. The President’s suggestion does not constitute a genuine proposition,” she stated on X.
Several others have addressed this concept more directly.
Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator from San Francisco, stated: “Ignoring the fact that Alcatraz is a museum and a popular destination for tourists, this concept is utterly absurd and frightening.” Meanwhile, Democrat influencer Brian Krassenstein labeled the suggestion as “the most foolish proposition I’ve come across.”
What could be the price?
According to some estimates, to house just 200 to 300 inmates at the remote island prison off the coast of San Francisco could be more than double that of a normal mainland facility.
As one attorney on X
noted, in 1963, cost per inmate at Alcatraz would be twice that of other federal prisons due to the transportation costs (via barge) for food, water, and other supplies.
Adjusting such costs for inflation, annual operating costs could be $100 million for up to 300 inmates, compared to $50 million for a regular facility back on dry land. Meanwhile, a Democratic policy
analyst on X
estimated it would cost between $235 million and $370 million to rebuild and reopen the prison.
In his post criticising the move, Krassenstein said: “At least $175-250m just to shore up crumbling concrete, retrofit for earthquakes, and install 21st-century security tech. Operating costs that never stop bleeding. Everything, water, food, fuel, must be barged in, and raw sewage barged out. That pushes the annual budget to 3× a comparable mainland prison, roughly $70–75 M every single year.”
As it stands, Alcatraz is a popular tourist attraction, managed by the National Park Service for visitors across the globe. However, with around 1.6 million visitors, the prison only generates approximately $60 million in annual revenue – slightly short of estimated figures.
In 2024, a rehabilitation project to correct seismic structural deficiencies of Alcatraz’s Main Prison Building was revealed, with funding of approximately $63.6 million provided by the Great American Outdoors Act, according to the NPS. Its completion date was estimated for the fall of 2027.
Would reopening even help?
Trump’s proposal to reopen Alcatraz comes amid his controversial migrant detention policies, with his administration being taken to court over the use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of individuals to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center.
For far too long, America has suffered from vicious, violent, and recidivist criminals—individuals who represent the worst elements of our society and whose actions only bring misery and suffering,” he posted on Truth Social on Sunday. “Therefore, today, I’m instructing the Bureau of Prisons, along with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reactivate Alcatraz after significantly expanding and reconstructing it for housing these most brutal and dangerous offenders.
During its prime, Alcatraz accommodated roughly 260 to 275 inmates, falling short of its full capacity of 336 cells. This figure represented less than one percent of the federal prison population back then. By 2025, this number had surged to more than 156,000 federally incarcerated individuals, with an estimated total exceeding two million across all U.S. prisons.
Even if it were reopened, the prison would barely make a dent in addressing the issue of overcrowded prisons, let alone tackle the concerns surrounding the millions of undocumented immigrants that Trump aims to send to prison or deport.
What purpose does this website serve nowadays?
Alcatraz Island, widely recognized as “The Rock,” was initially spotted by the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775, alongside two additional islands.
San Francisco Bay
– the “Alcatraces”.
Halfway through another century, a presidential directive designated it for military purposes in 1850 prior to the initiation of the first military usage.
prisoners
were accommodated on the island by the late 1850s. It maintained its function as a prison for more than a century.
Following its closure in 1963, the jail was initially made accessible to the public during the autumn of 1973, after receiving instructions from Congress to establish a new facility.
National Park Service
A unit known as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area was established in 1972.
It has since ballooned in popularity to become one of the most visited tourist spots in the U.S., with over a million visitors from across the world each year, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Who were its famous inmates?
The most notorious criminals to be housed at Alcatraz included Alphonse “Al” Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly, and “Ma Barker” gang members, Alvin Karpis, and Arthur “Doc” Barker.
Karpis served the longest term at the penitentiary, 26 years, after being sentenced to life imprisonment for ten murders, six kidnappings, and a robbery.
As stated by the FBI, “a majority of the inmates held there weren’t prominent gang members; they were prisoners who didn’t comply with the guidelines set forth at other federal facilities. These individuals were often labeled as violent, dangerous, or seen as potential flight risks.”
Inmates had to follow a repetitive daily schedule within the correctional facility and were provided with four fundamental rights: meals, attire, housing, and healthcare. All additional benefits required earning through good behavior or work.
How many prisoners escaped?
As per the records, nobody has ever managed to escape from Alcatraz successfully.
Between 1934 and the prison’s closing, a total of 36 individuals attempted to flee during 14 distinct breakout events. According to the FBI, “Almost all were apprehended or did not make it through their escape attempts.”
However, the fates of three inmates, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris, remain a mystery.
Why did it close?
Alcatraz officially closed on March 21, 1963, after 29 years of operation as a secure prison.
Its closure was held back because of the disappearance of Morris and the Anglins, with the decision to close the prison made long before the three disappeared, states the FBP.
The institution was judged to be too expensive to continue operating with roughly $3-5million needed to restore the site.
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