President Donald Trump’s latest “tough on crime” proposal—to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison—may carry a steep price tag for taxpayers. Though Trump has vowed to rebuild and reactivate the former island penitentiary to house the nation’s most violent criminals, experts warn the financial burden would be massive.
Alcatraz, which shuttered in 1963 due to exorbitant operating costs, is now a historic site and major tourist destination. Located on an isolated island in San Francisco Bay, it once cost nearly three times more to run than any other federal prison. A repair estimate made just before it closed put the cost at $5 million—equivalent to roughly $52 million today, and that doesn’t even account for full operational restoration.
Historian John Martini explained that reviving the prison would involve replacing nearly all basic infrastructure. “You would have to add running water, sanitation, heating, electrical—it’s all gone,” he said. “It would be astronomically expensive.” He likened the idea to trying to retrofit a Civil War fort with modern weaponry—impractical and wildly inefficient.
Despite the island’s poor condition and soaring maintenance projections, Trump insists on forging ahead. In a Truth Social post, he blamed rising crime on a lack of severe punishment and declared Alcatraz should once again lock up America’s “dregs of society.” He has not yet addressed how to fund the project or whether it would face the same operational setbacks that led to its original closure.
Critics, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have dismissed the idea entirely. “The President’s proposal is not a serious one,” she tweeted. “Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary more than sixty years ago. It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction.” For now, the plan remains little more than a political flashpoint—one that could cost millions without any clear path forward.
