President Trump Wants To Reopen Alcatraz: Here's What It Would Take

President Donald Trump on Sunday announced his intention to reconstruct and reopen Alcatraz, the infamous former prison on an island in San Francisco Bay, as a functioning maximum-security facility for “America's most ruthless and violent offenders.” 

What To Know: Trump described the move as a symbol of “Law, Order, and Justice” in a post on Truth Social and suggested the prison would be significantly expanded and modernized to accommodate the most dangerous criminals.

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Alcatraz operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963 and housed notorious criminals like Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. The prison was closed due to high operational costs, deteriorating infrastructure and logistical challenges.

Everything, including food, fuel and water, had to be shipped by boat, making it nearly three times more expensive to run than other federal prisons. 

John Martini, an expert on Alcatraz history who served as a park ranger on the island, told the San Francisco Chronicle that it would be impossible to reopen the prison because the building is "totally inoperable," with no water or sewage, and electricity only in certain parts.

"If the discussion is to rebuild the prison building to hold people, I don't think that would be feasible," Martini said. "It would have to be torn down and rebuilt."

What's Next: Reopening Alcatraz as a federal prison would require a major federal investment, with upfront costs likely in the hundreds of millions and ongoing annual expenses far exceeding those of typical mainland prison. 

Large-scale construction and infrastructure consultants like AECOM ACM and Fluor Corp. FLR that specialize in government infrastructure and complex restoration projects would likely be essential for rebuilding Alcatraz. 

Private prison firms including Geo Group Inc. GEO and CoreCivic, Inc. CWX could also be called upon to operate the location once restoration is complete. 

A rebuilt Alcatraz prison would also need security, communications and surveillance solutions from providers who specialize in public safety and correctional facilities like Axon Enterprise, Inc. AXON and Motorola Solutions, Inc. MSI.  

Details of the plan to reopen Alcatraz remain unclear, including proposed costs or a timeline for expanding and opening the facility. However, the Bureau of Prisons, Justice Department, FBI and Homeland Security are expected to work on the project.

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