The White House has requested $152 million to restore the former Alcatraz Island prison in San Francisco Bay as an active correctional facility, according to a proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.
The funding request follows a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to transform the historic site back into a high-security federal prison.
Plan to rebuild high-security facility
The budget proposal would provide funding for the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin first-year reconstruction costs, with the aim of turning the site into a “state-of-the-art secure prison facility.”
Alcatraz, which is currently managed by the National Park Service, closed in 1969 after more than three decades of operation as a federal prison.
Presidential directive to rebuild Alcatraz
Trump previously announced on social media that he was directing federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prisons, to reopen and expand Alcatraz to house what he described as the country’s “most ruthless and violent offenders.”
The island facility originally opened in 1934 and was widely regarded as one of the most secure prisons in the United States due to its isolated location and strong ocean currents.
History of escapes and closure
Although no successful escapes were officially recorded, five inmates are listed as “missing and presumed drowned” after attempted breakouts from the facility.
The prison was eventually shut down in 1969, with authorities citing high operational costs as the primary reason for its closure.
According to the Bureau of Prisons, Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than other federal prisons at the time.
