Trump moves to reopen Alcatraz prison

President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was directing the government to reopen and expand the former prison facility. Alcatraz is located on an island off the coast of San Francisco and has not held inmates for more than 60 years. Trump envisioned using the prison for violent and repeat criminals, he said in a social media post calling the facility a symbol of law and order. A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told the Associated Press that the department would comply with all presidential orders. The order wasn’t posted to a White House page on Monday morning. Officials have not said when the restoration process could begin or how much it would cost to get the prison ready to house inmates.

What is the history of the prison? The island where Alcatraz is located previously served as a U.S. naval fort after the Mexican-American War of 1848, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It later housed military prisoners until it was transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice for use by the federal prison system in 1933. Federal officials closed the facility in 1963 because it had become too expensive to operate. A group of Native American activists in 1969 occupied the island for more than six months, saying they had the right to claim any unoccupied government land. Federal marshals forced them off the island in June 1971 and Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area the next year. It has since operated as a popular tourist destination. About 1.2 million people visit the island each year.

Who were some notorious prisoners? During its time as a prison Alcatraz housed inmates who were considered violent and dangerous, who did not behave at other institutions, or who were believed to be escape risks. It never reached its capacity of 336 prisoners, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Well-known criminals including Al Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly, and Alvin Karpis served time at the prison. The facility reports that no inmates successfully escaped the island, though five prisoners were listed as missing and presumed drowned. 

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in WORLD Magazine about how residents in crime-ridden cities are demanding law and order.