Nope . . . not this Rock:

Happily, Dwayne Johnson hasn’t gone away, and doesn’t need to return.

But this one — notorious Alcatraz Island — appears to be making a comeback as a federal prison:

Donald Trump said yesterday, in a message on his ironically-named Truth Social site, that he is directing the government to reopen and expand Alcatraz — the notorious prison of yesteryear, located on an island off the coast of San Francisco and currently in use as a tourist attraction. His message said that:

“ . . . for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders,” and that the reopening of Alcatraz would serve as a “symbol of law, order, and justice. 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.” [Gabriela Pomeroy, BBC News, May 4, 2025.]

Obviously, I have no way of knowing how much study or — perish the thought — research Trump may have put into this, so I decided to do a bit of it myself.

In principle, the idea has merit. If it were to serve its proper purpose as a federal prison, then it might be worthwhile. But it’s not without some major “ifs” and “buts.”

Alcatraz Prison was closed in 1963 due to the economic unfeasibility of maintaining it . . . it cost triple what other major prisons across the country cost to operate. It was thereafter claimed by a group of Native American activists who occupied the island without authorization until finally being evicted by U.S. Marshals in 1971. In 1972, it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and is now open as a public tourist attraction, despite the fact that no efforts have been made to repair the buildings. In addition to general decay and weathering, four of its buildings were destroyed by fire in 1970. [Britannica.com.]

So restoring it won’t be easy, or cheap. One unofficial estimate is that it would cost between $235M and $370M to restore, and $40-60M annually to operate as a prison. [John A. Daly, x.com, May 4, 2025.]

As a tourist attraction, Alcatraz currently draws about 1.2 million visitors per year, at an average charge per ticket of about $45 (less for children), thus grossing around $54,000,000. But the National Park Service estimates the cost of maintaining the island as a tourist attraction is around $36,500,000, plus overall daily operational and maintenance costs, which are substantial due to its isolated location, exposure to sea spray, etc. Thus, it really isn’t what one would call a money-maker.

But at least it pays for itself. Conversely, bringing it back up to speed and operating it as a prison would require a tremendous outlay of cash, year after year. So the big question is: Would it be worth it?

And that all depends on two things:

First, where in the federal budget would those funds come from? What would have to be cut in order to afford it?

And second, what will it really be used for? Is it just an excuse to be able to round up more “undesirables” — i.e., anyone Donald Trump considers a threat to “his” country? Or will it house actual, dangerous criminals, thus relieving overcrowding in existing prisons? And will it stop the mass deportation of immigrants . . . many of them guilty of nothing other than being from another country?

Of course, we will hear promises that it will all be accomplished in the most economical way, without further pain to taxpayers . . . and with complete transparency as to its operation. But will it?

We shall see.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/5/25