Trump requests $152 million to recondition and operate Alcatraz prison
After a major renovation, soon to be carried out, Alcatraz prison could once again receive high-risk criminals
In the budget proposed by In the White House budget for fiscal year 2027, an unusual request appears, urging Congress to allocate funds to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to cover the first year's costs of the project related to the reconstruction of Alcatraz Island, located in the middle of San Francisco Bay, California. The central objective of the project is to reactivate the legendary prison, but first, to equip it with everything necessary to restore its status as one of the strictest, most feared, and even most complex detention centers for criminals attempting to escape. Since May of last year, the head of state has ordered the restoration of the prison and some areas of the island, which covers 8.9 hectares. The project reportedly involves the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). From 1850 to 1933, Alcatraz was used as a military prison. A year later, the facilities were repurposed as a federal prison, housing hundreds of criminals for nearly three decades until it closed its doors, presumably permanently, in 1963. Subsequently, the island became a national park in 1972. According to the BOP website, the reason the prison ceased operations was due to the high operating budget. "It was estimated that between three and five million dollars were needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open."That figure did not include daily operating costs: operating Alcatraz was almost three times more expensive than any other federal prison,” he says. Now, those same facilities where the fearsome Al Capone was once imprisoned may once again house more criminals.

