Alcatraz Prison is closed because it is too expensive. Now Trump wants to use it again
U.S. President Donald Trump claims that decades after California Island Fortress was converted into a U.S. tourist destination, he wanted to convert Alcatraz back to federal prison because it became too costly to accommodate criminals.
The prisons on the coast of San Francisco are where the U.S. government sent notorious gang members Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, as well as little-known men who were considered too dangerous to lock elsewhere.
Notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger served Alvin Karpis, a Canadian bank robber, and Soviet spy Spy Morton Sobell.
Alcatraz is hovered by herons and seagulls, often shrouded in fog, and is the setting for Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage’s films (rock) and Clint Eastwood (Escape from Alcatraz).
Trump said Alcatraz, currently part of the National Park Service, suddenly needed to accommodate the “most cruel and violent” criminals in the United States.
“When we are a more serious country, in the past, we have no hesitation to lock in the most dangerous criminals and keep them away from anyone who might hurt. That's how it should be,” Trump said on his Truth Social Site on Sunday.
Senator Scott Wiener, a California Democratic State, criticized Trump, saying he wanted to create a “domestic gulag” in the central San Francisco Bay.
What is a demon?
Alcatraz is located in the bay north of the city and is visible from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Since 1934-63, it has been famous for its years as a federal prison, but its history has been longer.
According to the Park Service, in 1850, U.S. President Millard Fillmore declared the island for public purposes and soon became a military venue. During the Civil War, the Allies were placed there.
By the 1930s, the U.S. government decided that a place was needed to detain the worst criminals, and the demons became the option for prisons.
“Seeking a remote location that will prohibit those inside the walls from continuing communication with the outside world,” the Park Service said.
“Although Alaska land is being considered, the availability of Alcatraz Island is convenient to the need for high security prisons that the government believes are needed.”
Does it match Hollywood pictures?
Canadian bank robber Karpis has served more than 30 years in prison, including on Alcatraz. In the 1970s, he talked to the CBC about his time there.
“Is it as awesome, terrible, powerful as Hollywood makes us believe?” broadcaster Larry Solway asked him during a conversation about CBC This Monday About his time is on the “rock”.
Carpis replied, “Well, personally, I think it's one of the greatest frauds ever made by the American public, and I myself, just a place full of murderous “public enemies” and they mentioned these lads.” Although he acknowledged that the facility had “their share” of the infamous residents, he asserted that “not just any other large state prison.”
Karpis was released on parole and then deported to Canada in 1969. He later recalled that the RCMP asked him if he planned to hang out with organized crime members on this side of the border.
“As I explained to the guys: You think I'd be stupid to tell you, yes, if I'm going to be?” he said in an interview with CBC in 1976. Live broadcast for 90 minutes.
Why close?
The remoteness of Alcatraz ultimately makes it unrealistic. Everything from food to fuel must be reached by boat.
According to the U.S. Prison Service, “The island has no freshwater source, so nearly one million gallons of water must be sold to the island every week.”
The government said the fee for accommodating someone there was $10.10 a day in 1959, while in a federal prison in Atlanta, we were $3. Building a new prison from scratch is cheap.
Why are demons notorious?
Despite the location, many prisoners tried to leave: 36 men tried to escape the bay alone, the FBI said. Almost all were arrested or unable to survive the cold water and rapid flow of water.
In 1969, a group of Native Americans (mainly college students) claimed historic demonic rights and began a career that lasted 19 months until federal authorities intervened in 1971.
Escape from Alcatrazthe 1979 film starring Eastwood tells the story of John Anglin, his brothers Clarence and Frank Morris, who escaped in 1962, leaving behind handmade plaster heads with real hair on the bed and lying in a fool.
“In the 17 years we have dealt with this case, there is no reliable evidence that these people are still alive in the United States or overseas,” the FBI said.
rockIt's a 1996 fictional thriller with Connery and Cage in an effort to save hostages from the rogue Marines of Alcatraz Island.
Alcatraz became part of the Kinmen National Entertainment District and opened to the public in 1973, a decade after a prison was closed.
