Alcatraz was disbanded in 1963 after it was deemed too expensive to run
Donald Trump has announced his intention to re-open a famous US prison, which has an impressive roster of infamous criminals to its name.
On May 4, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce that he wanted to “rebuild and open” Alcatraz.
He said: “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.”
He went on to explain that he would only send serious criminals to Alcatraz, adding: “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.”
Donald Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
While he didn’t explain when this could happen, he did say that he is “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” in a bid to “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.”
Alcatraz is an island prison located off the coast of San Francisco, and it housed some of the most notorious criminals until its closure in 1963.
Here are some of the most famous inmates to walk the halls of Alcatraz:
Al Capone
Al Capone was a notorious prisoner (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone, whose nickname was Scarface, was a notorious New York gangster with strong political connections that allowed his criminal activities to go largely unchecked for some time.
His criminal reign began to unravel after the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago, during which his gang killed seven members of a rival gang. Although Capone was in Florida at the time of the killings, the massacre was a turning point in his criminal career.
Interestingly, it wasn’t his involvement in the massacre that led to his conviction, but rather a tax evasion case that was meticulously built by the U.S. Treasury Department. On June 16, 1931, Capone initially pled guilty to tax evasion and prohibition charges. However, after discovering that there was no offer for a reduced two-and-a-half-year sentence, he changed his plea to not guilty.
Capone was eventually sentenced and sent to Alcatraz in 1934, where he served time, also spending time in the Atlanta Penitentiary.
He passed away at the age of 48 in Palm Island, Florida, due to complications from a stroke and pneumonia.
Robert Stroud, The Birdman of Alcatraz
Robert Stroud was a dangerous criminal (Getty Images/Bettmann/Contributor)
Robert Stroud, known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” was initially imprisoned for the murder of a bartender. Stroud claimed that the bartender owed him money for a prostitute he had been pimping out.
While incarcerated at Leavenworth Prison in Kansas, Stroud developed a reputation for violence, and he eventually stabbed a prison guard. This act of aggression led to his placement in solitary confinement.
However, his life in prison took an unexpected turn when he discovered an injured bird in the prison recreation yard. Stroud became fascinated with ornithology and began studying the breeding of canaries. He even wrote books on the subject, gaining some recognition for his work in this field.
Despite his newfound interest in birds, Stroud was found to have been using ornithological equipment to produce alcohol. As a result, he was transferred to Alcatraz in 1942, where he spent the remaining 17 years of his sentence. He died in 1963, still serving his time on the infamous island.
George ‘Machine Gun Kelly’ Barnes
(adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images)
George Kelly Barnes, better known as “Machine Gun Kelly,” was one of the most infamous gangsters in the United States during the Prohibition era. Born into a wealthy family in Tennessee, Kelly’s life took a turn when he fell on hard times, leading him to become involved in bootlegging after separating from his wife, with whom he had two children.
He later met and fell in love with Kathryn Thorne, a criminal who became his partner in crime. Together, they carried out a series of bank robberies across Texas and Mississippi.
However, their criminal activities took a more daring turn when they attempted to kidnap wealthy business tycoon Charles Urschel. After the botched kidnapping, both Kelly and Thorne were arrested. Kelly made threats about escaping from prison, which prison officials took seriously. As a result, he was sent to the notorious Alcatraz prison in 1934, where he served out his sentence.
Barnes died in 1954.
Frank Lee Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin
Frank Morris was one of the prisoners who escaped (Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Frank Lee Morris and the Anglin brothers, John and Clarence, are perhaps the most famous escapees from Alcatraz prison. All three had been incarcerated for various crimes and were sent to the notorious prison due to their violent pasts.
In 1962, after spending years planning, the trio managed to escape by stealing tools from the prison workshops. They dug tunnels behind the walls of their cells, created a raft, and used life-sized papier-mâché dummies to make it appear as though they were still in their beds during nightly headcounts.
On the night of June 11, 1962, the escapees made their move, slipping through the tunnels, climbing to the roof, and making their way to the water. They launched their homemade raft and paddled away into the night.
Despite an extensive manhunt and search by the FBI and U.S. Marshals, no trace of them was ever found. It is widely believed that they drowned in the treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay, but their bodies were never recovered. The mystery of their escape remains unsolved to this day, with some speculating that they may have successfully escaped to freedom.
Bumpy Johnson
Ellsworth Raymond ‘Bumpy’ Johnson was the most trusted soldier of Madame Stephanie St. Clair, in the 1930s, but during a fight with the mob boss Dutch Schultz, over Harlem’s rackets, 40 people were murdered and some were also kidnapped.
Bumpy Johnson (Public Domain)
St. Clair was arrested, and Johnson, who had built up a criminal empire, struck a deal with the Mafia. However, his criminal activities caught up with him in 1952 when his crimes were exposed in the celebrity section of Jet magazine. He was subsequently sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug conspiracy.
Johnson spent most of his sentence at Alcatraz before being released on parole in 1963.
Originally built as a naval defense fort, Alcatraz became a federal penitentiary in 1934, housing some of the most dangerous criminals in U.S. history.
One of the most infamous events in the prison’s history was the Battle of Alcatraz, which took place from May 2 to 4, 1946. The battle was sparked by a large-scale escape attempt by prisoners, during which two Federal Bureau of Prisons officers were killed, along with three inmates. This violent incident highlighted the high stakes of living in such a tightly controlled, high-security institution.
Despite its notorious history, Alcatraz was eventually closed in 1963 due to the high cost of operation. By that time, it had housed some of the country’s most infamous criminals, and its closure marked the end of an era for the prison.
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