Trump Proposes $152 Mln Plan to Rebuild Alcatraz as Federal Prison
The Trump administration has formally requested a $152 mln budget allocation to reactivate the infamous Alcatraz prison.
Earmarked within the proposed financial plan for the 2027 fiscal year, this funding aims to transform the historic San Francisco Bay tourist attraction back into a modern maximum-security compound.
While the budget still requires congressional approval, the initial capital would enable the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin overhauling the island’s infrastructure.
This fiscal request builds upon a directive Donald Trump issued last year when he ordered the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Prisons and several other federal agencies to formulate a strategy for modernising the site to house America’s most severe criminals.
A Notorious Legacy
First opened as a federal penitentiary in 1934, Alcatraz was long considered the ultimate fortress within the U.S. penal system.
- Natural Defences: The prison’s remote location was fortified by freezing waters and exceptionally strong tidal currents.
- Escapes: Authorities have never officially verified a successful breakout. However, a handful of inmates who vanished from their cells are listed as missing and are widely presumed to have drowned in the bay.
- Infamous Inmates: The island was designed to hold the worst of the worst, famously incarcerating mob boss Al Capone and crime syndicate leader James «Whitey» Bulger.
From Prison to Tourist Hotspot
The federal government ultimately shuttered the facility in 1969. According to official records, the closure was primarily driven by exorbitant running costs that were roughly three times higher than those of standard mainland prisons. For the past several decades, the National Park Service has managed the island as a highly popular public tourist destination.
