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Trump’s Alcatraz Revival Faces Skepticism Over Costs and Feasibility

President Trump’s directive to rebuild Alcatraz as a maximum-security prison has drawn bipartisan criticism and logistical concerns, while feasibility studies are underway.

Trump’s surprise call to reopen Alcatraz over the weekend came just hours after a local PBS affiliate aired “Escape From Alcatraz,” the 1979 Clint Eastwood film dramatizing a real-life prison break from the island. 
Photo composite illustration of Alcatraz island, Al Capone, prison cells and watchtowers
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Alcatraz Island tours focus on the main cell house, which is where inmates lived out their sentences during the site’s operation as a federal prison from 1934 to 1963. 

Overview

  • President Trump has ordered federal agencies to explore reopening Alcatraz as a maximum-security prison, framing it as a symbol of law and order.
  • The Bureau of Prisons has committed to studying the feasibility of the plan, but no budget, timeline, or concrete steps have been finalized.
  • Experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the proposal as impractical and prohibitively expensive due to Alcatraz’s deteriorated infrastructure and high operational costs.
  • Alcatraz currently operates as a lucrative tourist attraction, drawing 1.6 million visitors annually and generating $60 million in revenue, complicating its potential conversion back into a prison.
  • Speculation has emerged that Trump’s idea may have been influenced by a recent PBS broadcast of the 1979 film 'Escape From Alcatraz,' which aired near his Mar-a-Lago residence.