President Donald Trump announced on social media a proposal to reopen the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the island prison in San Francisco Bay that once held some of America’s most famous criminals, including a notorious one from Juneau — Robert Stroud, better known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”
Although Alcatraz ceased operating as a federal prison in 1963 and has since become a national historic site managed by the National Park Service, Trump believes the island facility could be brought back into operation for some of America’s most violent criminals, who he intends to see brought to justice.
Stroud, who spent 17 years in the island penitentiary, was convicted in 1909 of manslaughter after shooting a bartender in Juneau during a dispute involving his mistress. Born in Seattle, he had left home at age 13 to escape his father, described in various accounts as abusive and alcoholic. By the age of 18, he was living in the Alaska Territory, where he became a pimp. During his incarceration, he had a reputation for violence, and in 1916, he fatally stabbed a prison guard.
Stroud became known for his interest in ornithology and for keeping and studying birds during his time in prison. Unlike the romanticized depiction in the movie, he was not allowed to keep birds while at Alcatraz. He had raised canaries at Leavenworth federal penitentiary, and he also served time at McNeil Island, where he was first placed after being held in a Juneau jail. He was eventually transferred to Alcatraz in 1942 and died in 1963 at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, in Springfield, Missouri. He was 73 and had spent 55 years in prison.
The 1962 film Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster, made Stroud famous, although great liberties were taken with his life story, and the film did not include all of his violent episodes in prison. The prison also held Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly and was featured in the movies, “The Rock,” which starred Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, and “Escape from Alcatraz,” starring Clint Eastwood.
“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. 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,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “That is why, today I am 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.”
Currently, the island is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and sees over a million tourists every year. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has no current authority over the island and it would cost an enormous sum to bring it up to standard, after it has been mothballed for 60 years.
Wonderful idea, but Gitmo is much more economical. El Salvador sounds good too.
I think an even cheaper idea: put them all on chain gangs, make them all build a wall around Detroit. It’s been a hole for 50 years. Let them build their own society in that hole.
It’s probably a bad idea but we should do an accurate cost benefit analysis as it may make sense. The pscological impact of the thought of being sent there may actually be a deterrant to more serious crimes. Who knows?
The death penalty is the best deterrent. Rate of recidivism: Zero.
We don’t have the balls to implement it and explain it to our children AND the justice system is flawed (biased), so illegitimate in this area (assigning death sentences).
Yeah but 30 years of appeals softens the blow quite a bit. Worked better when it was 30 days.
Love it. Could there be a cell block for Democrats? Block D: Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden. It would be cool to have public tours resume to Alcatraz with real live Democrats in cells. Charge for admission. Buy bags of peanuts to throw at these miserable people.
Don’t forget to add Lizard Cheney and Princess Lisa to that roster!
Maybe also the remaining husk of the usurper Biden.
Love it!
So cool! A Democrat crime zoo. Can I bring my pet monkey on the tour?
I think it is a great idea to reopen Alcatraz to house the worst of the worst! I would also allow for any prisoner who wishes to escape be allowed an attempt at swimming the shark infested waters to San Francisco. As a reward for reaching San Francisco without being eaten, they would then be sent to a federal prison that is less harsh than Alcatraz. Of course if they don’t reach the shore then it will save the taxpayer the money needed to house them anywhere. The shark bait viewing would also open up an interesting tourist business to offset the business lost on the Alcatraz tours.
I think that we have some ideal locations on Aleutian islands or in the north slope bourough that would be superior choices to Alcatraz.
had to check the calendar. Make sure it wasn”t April 1.
If you’ve ever visited Alcatraz Island you realize this is the height of showboating. It’s like saying Alaska is turning the barracks in Whittier into a luxury hotel, except more far fetched.
Trump needs to focus on getting Iran bombed and fixing the powerhouse economy with which he is amateurishly toying
Prisons are a failed experiment; expensive to operate and the notion of rehabilitation is nonsense because it doesn’t happen and it makes the injured society bear the real burden of the individual’s crimes (lifetime ward of the state). Crime and injustice call out for punishment, not rehabilitation. Three levels of punishment depending on the crime: fine, public corporal punishment or execution. After the judgement, determine the sentence, carry it out and be done with it.
Excellent points–liked your comments very much.
“……..Crime and injustice call out for punishment……..”
AFAIC, that’s all psychological ideology. The goal of prison should be to simply keep those who refuse to live within the rules of society isolated from the rest of us so the rest of us can live safely from them. Repeatedly releasing them becsuse we don’t have enough prisons is the “failed experiment”. Look around you; it should be abundantly clear that an honest 5% of your fellow man needs to be in some level of custody. Two percent are currently incarcerated. Double with zeal that and watch the remaining 1% keep their noses clean……..
Don’t believe me? Open up YouTube and search for high speed chases. There are dozens daily around the nation. It occurs multiple times daily in LA. This is an insane level of complete disrespect for the minimal concept of law. Frankly I’d like to see such morons summarily executed upon capture, or better, simply blown off the road with a FGM-148 Javelin.
They are not a failed experiment. The failure is when we privatized them.
Anything to distract from Trump’s failing economic policies
Good news. If the states can’t put criminals away, let the feds open/reopen prisons as needed to do it. Nevada is almost completely owned by the feds, and not one federal prison is located there. Lots of room in some really lonely areas of Nevada.
Opening McNeil Island Penitentiary which closed in 2011 would be much more realistic and cost effective. Some of the facilities are still operational.
Yup. Re-open them both………and more. Then fill them up.
This was just a Trump attention getter like making Canada a state and renaming the Gulf. He loves to toy with the fake news media and it’s fun to watch. Alcatraz will never happen, it closed for very good reasons. Still, we need to strengthen our prisons and I’m glad to see Trump giving this attention.
More evidence that Trump’s mind is still living in the 1950s. He is a laughingstock all around the world.
Trump is an effing genius. Not only does he know how to irritate Democrats to the point of them having mental breakdowns, but his ideas are wonderful. There could even be a TV series;
“Trump’s Alcatraz.”
.
Put the worst of the worst offenders into Alcatraz and after a year, give them art quality material, carving knives, and raincoats and let some of them try and make a run for it during night lockdown. Open up a made-for-TV getting pool to see how many of them get 300 yards offshore.
God, we just LOVE Trump!
Check your 401K and your grocery prices.
Do you even know what the word “relevant” actually is?
Just back from Ireland and that was the unanimous opinion there…America is a laughingstock. Sad to see.
Lets just hope there isn’t a new tariff on that delicious Irish butter…
By the way how is Rosy O’Donnell doing otherwise?
I hope she plans to stay there.
If that is the case (and it probably is not), I’m feeling better and better about America and Trump.
Just back from the UK myself, and people are indeed laughing at Donny Two Dolls. They can’t believe how the US is self-destructing for no good reason whatsoever except for the vanity and megalomania of our President.
The UK has zero grounds to point and laugh at any other government as they have removed Free speech. People have been arrested for a meme or “misgendering” a “person”. you need to look this up.
It is not fake news.
“……..America is a laughingstock……..”
Let them laugh without our military and economic support. Who cares? Is their faux respect worth buying with our money?
Correction:
“betting pool.”
I nominate Dr. Fauci as the first inmate!
Throw Joe Biden in the cell with Fauci. They can give each other boosters once a week.
Queue the leftist demonrats chiming in saying that this will somehow be used to target them or some marginalized group or whatever. Well, if the shoe fits. I believe criminals need to be punished to deter them from committing those crimes again and again.