How Alcatraz became America’s most notorious prison

By ED WHITE President Donald Trump wants to convert Alcatraz back into a federal prison decades after the California island fortress was converted into a U S tourist destination because it had become too costly to house America s worst criminals The prison off the coast of San Francisco is where the cabinet sent notorious gangsters Al Capone and George Machine Gun Kelly as well as lesser-known men who were considered too dangerous to lock up elsewhere Circled by herons and gulls and often shrouded in fog Alcatraz has been the setting for movies featuring Sean Connery Nicolas Cage and Clint Eastwood Trump says Alcatraz now part of the National Park Amenity suddenly is needed to house America s largest part ruthless and violent criminals When we were a more serious Nation in times past we did not hesitate to lock up the preponderance dangerous criminals and keep them far away from anyone they could harm That s the way it s supposed to be Trump revealed Sunday on his Truth Social site A tour boat is skippered past Alcatraz Island Monday May in San Francisco AP Photo Jed Jacobsohn FILE People tour the main cell house on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco March as the historic island prison was reopened to visitors after being closed since Dec because of the coronavirus threat AP Photo Eric Risberg File Alcatraz Island is pictured on Sunday May in the San Francisco Bay Calif AP Photo Noah Berger Show Caption of A tour boat is skippered past Alcatraz Island Monday May in San Francisco AP Photo Jed Jacobsohn Expand What is Alcatraz Alcatraz is in San Francisco Bay off the coast of San Francisco and visible from the Golden Gate Bridge It is best known for its years as a federal prison from - but its history is much longer President Millard Fillmore in declared the island for population purposes according to the park operation and it soon became a military site Confederates were housed there during the Civil War By the s the authorities decided that it needed a place to hold the worst criminals and Alcatraz became the choice for a prison A remote site was sought one that would prohibit constant communication with the outside world by those confined within its walls the park function disclosed Although land in Alaska was being considered the availability of Alcatraz Island conveniently coincided with the authorities s perceived need for a high protection prison Why did it close The remoteness eventually made it impractical Everything from food to fuel had to arrive by boat The island had no source of fresh water according to the U S Bureau of Prisons so nearly one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island each week The cost to house someone there in was a day compared with at a federal prison in Atlanta the leadership announced It was cheaper to build a new prison from scratch Why is Alcatraz notorious Despite the location several prisoners tried to get out men attempted separate escapes into the bay according to the FBI Nearly all were caught or didn t survive the cold water and swift current Escape from Alcatraz a movie starring Eastwood described the story of John Anglin his brother Clarence and Frank Morris who all escaped in leaving behind handmade plaster heads with real hair in their beds to fool guards Related Articles Coalition of states ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Physical condition and Human Services States sue Trump administration for blocking the progress of wind capacity Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US regime health-tracking programs A GOP congressman is peppered with questions about Trump during raucous town hall South Dakota students weigh protest against university honors for homeland protection chief Noem For the years we worked on the development no credible evidence emerged to suggest the men were still alive either in the U S or overseas the FBI disclosed The Rock a fictional thriller with Connery and Cage centers on an effort to rescue hostages from rogue Marines on Alcatraz A national park Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and was opened to the community in a decade after it was closed as a prison The park system says the island gets more than million visitors a year who arrive by ferry A ticket for an adult costs and visitors can see the cells where prisoners were held In a group of Native Americans mostly college students claimed to have a right to Alcatraz and began an occupation that lasted for months It ended in when federal executives intervened The underlying goals of the Indians on Alcatraz were to awaken the American general to the reality of the plight of the first Americans and to assert the need for Indian self-determination late historian Troy Johnson wrote