President Donald Trump had movies on his mind when he was asked to provide details on his shocking decision to announce a plan to reopen Alcatraz to imprison ‘ruthless’ and violent offenders. Asked to explain how he came to the decision hours after he announced it online, the president brought up the film industry – and then said the decision sent a message of ‘law and order.’ Alcatraz ‘represents something very strong, very powerful, in terms of law and order. Our country needs law and order. Alcatraz is, I would say, the ultimate right? Alcatraz, Sing Sing, and Alcatraz – the movies,’ Trump continued.
By the early 1960s, the cost of maintaining Alcatraz had become unsustainable. Transporting food, water, and supplies to the island was expensive, and the aging infrastructure was deteriorating. In 1963, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered the prison’s closure. The last inmates were transferred to other federal facilities, marking the end of Alcatraz’s 29-year run as a federal penitentiary. But its story was far from over.
