President Trump (above) said he is directing the Bureau of
Prisons, Department of Justice, the FBI and Department
of Homeland Security to reopen a "substantially enlarged
and rebuilt" Alcatraz, "to house America’s most ruthless
and violent offenders."

The island was developed in the mid-19th century with
facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a
military prison. In 1934, the island was converted into
a federal prison, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

Alcatraz ultimately closed in 1963 after its island operations
proved far more costly than mainland-based prisons.