After being defunct for over 60 years, the historic Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary will be reopened, according to an announcement made by President Donald Trump on Sunday.
The President stated that the prison needs to be reopened to house serial criminals who are spreading crime throughout the country.
“That is why, today, 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,” Trump declared.
In his post, the President also said that reopening Alcatraz will symbolize “Law, Order, and JUSTICE” and will assist in his mission of making “AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
In 1934, US military barracks on Alcatraz Island were acquired by the Department of Justice with the purpose of making a penitentiary. Alcatraz opened that year, with the intent of holding prisoners who had a history of causing problems at other federal prisons.
During its 29 years of operation, the prison held some of the most notorious criminals in US history. Chicago gangster Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Robert Franklin Stroud (aka the “Birdman of Alcatraz”), and Harlem gangster Bumpy Johnson were all imprisoned there are various times.
Legal analyst Greg Jarrett told Fox News potential obstacles that may come with reopening Alcatraz, saying the prison would have to be rebuilt entirely:
“It’s so outdated and crumbling. And here’s the important part, it has landmark status. So, there would be an avalanche of lawsuits that would probably tie it up for years. Don’t forget, this is California,” Jarrett said.
California US House Representative Nancy Pelosi posted on X her thoughts about that the President’s plans:
“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,” Pelosi wrote.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons states that, in 1963, when Alcatraz shut down, an “estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open.”
Any detailed plans for the re-opening of Alcatraz, including the potential cost, have yet to be released by the White House
