On May 4, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce his intention to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison as part of his broader plan to crack down on crime.
Reinforcing his tough-on-crime stance, the former president wrote:
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders — the dregs of society — who will never contribute anything other than misery and suffering.”
Trump went on to outline the types of individuals he believes should be sent to the historic San Francisco prison if it were brought back into operation.
Donald Trump explained his plans for Alcatraz on Truth Social (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
He continued: “When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
“No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”
It is not clear how long it would take to reopen Alcatraz prison, or how much of a priority this remains to Trump, but he did explain the steps he is taking to get this plan underway.
He added: “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.
“We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally. The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
It would be an expensive endeavor to reopen Alcatraz prison (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Alcatraz was originally a naval defense fort, but it was rebuilt in the early 20th Century as a military prison.
Following this, the Department of Justice took it over in the 1930s and it began taking in convicts from the federal prison system.
The prison was eventually closed because, according to the Federal Bureau of Prison website, it was too expensive to run. It was estimated to cost almost three times as much to run than other federal prisons, likely because of its island location.
To make Alcatraz operational again as a prison would be an expensive endeavor, and it is not clear how quickly this could happen.
