Rock of Doom: Alcatraz will resume operations by Trump's decree

On Monday, May 5, US President Donald Trump ordered the restoration and reopening of the famous Alcatraz maximum security prison, which is located on the island of the same name. According to him, this decision should help protect the American people from violent repeat offenders, many of whom are in the country illegally. The prison has become famous as a prison for the most dangerous murderers, thieves, rapists and gangsters, from which it is impossible to escape. Several films have been made about her. For more information about what prompted Trump to order the opening of Alcatraz and what is known about this place, see the Izvestia article.

Why did Trump order the opening of the legendary Alcatraz prison

Donald Trump continues to excite the world with his reforms, which should "make America great again." On Monday, May 5, he ordered the renovation and reopening of Alcatraz Prison, which was shut down in 1963. Trump posted a statement about this on his page on the Truth Social network.

In his message, he noted that the renovated facility will be designed to hold the country's most dangerous criminals, including repeat offenders and illegal migrants with criminal records. According to him, the opening of the prison will become "a symbol of law, order and justice."

"Restore and unlock Alcatraz! For too long, America has suffered from vicious, violent repeat offenders, the dregs of society who will never bring anything but suffering and torment. When we were a more serious country, in the past, we didn't hesitate to put the most dangerous criminals in jail and keep them away from those they could harm. This is how it should be," the US president wrote.

Trump also added that the country no longer intends to tolerate those who sow evil, bloodshed and chaos on the streets of American cities. The American leader instructed the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to immediately begin implementing this project. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the judges, including those whom he appointed himself, for obstructing the deportation of suspected gang members and restricting the actions of law enforcement agencies.

According to experts, the implementation of this decision will be difficult and costly, as it will require a large-scale reconstruction of the island and infrastructure to ensure the safety and detention of prisoners. Nevertheless, representatives of the Bureau of Prisons declared their readiness to comply with the presidential decree.

The revival of Alcatraz has caused a wide response in society and the media, because the prison has a reputation as one of the harshest correctional institutions in the history of the United States. Critics, including former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, condemned the move, calling it frivolous and noting that Alcatraz is currently a national park and tourist attraction.

Alcatraz Prison: where it is located and what is known about it

Alcatraz Prison is located on the island of the same name in San Francisco Bay. The island is located about 2 km from the coast, which, together with the cold water and strong currents, made escape from detention almost impossible. The main building of the prison was built in 1910-1912 as a military facility, and in 1934, after reconstruction and increased security, Alcatraz became a federal prison under the control of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

For almost 30 years of operation, Alcatraz has gained a reputation as the most secure and strict prison in the United States. During this time, 36 escape attempts were recorded, none of which were unequivocally successful.

In 1963, due to high maintenance costs and the deteriorating condition of the buildings, the prison was closed. After that, Alcatraz turned into a museum and became one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco. Today, tourists can visit the island, see the cells, punishment cells, dining room, courtyard and get acquainted with the history and legends associated with this place.

The most famous prisoners of Alcatraz

Alcatraz Prison was established as one of the most secure places on the planet, so from 1934 to 1963, the most famous and violent criminals of that time became its wards.

Among them is Al Capone, the legendary gangster from Chicago, who ended up in this correctional facility the year it opened. If in other prisons the mafia had significant influence, could bribe the guards and continue to do business directly from the cell, then there was no corruption in Alcatraz, so the Italian was completely cut off from the world and even from other prisoners. In addition, he was one of the few prison inmates who underwent psychiatric treatment — syphilis was destroying his mind. Al Capone often complained of auditory hallucinations and tried to stay away from people.

George "Mashingan" Kelly, or George Barnes, a notorious bank robber and kidnapper, also served a significant portion of his sentence at Alcatraz. Despite his high-profile reputation in the world of gangsters, his stay in this prison made the criminal more calm: only at first did the "machine gunner" try to maintain authority, but later the strict regime and control system led to his humility. Kelly began working at the library and gained the respect of the staff for his discipline.

Alcatraz also broke the will of another famous criminal, Roy Gardiner, who successfully escaped from correctional institutions before falling into the island prison, and once escaped from a guarded train. The harsh conditions and isolation took such a toll on Roy Gardiner's psyche that he never attempted to escape again. Later, the cunning robber confessed that Alcatraz was the place where he felt like a real prisoner for the first time.

But most of all, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers became famous for their attempt to leave the island.

Morris was recognized as a brilliant strategist with an IQ above 130. His criminal life began in childhood, and at a more mature age he was convicted of drug possession and armed attacks.

Brothers John and Clarence Anglin came to the attention of the police after multiple thefts, carjackings, raids on homes and businesses. Before Alcatraz, they had already made successful escape attempts, including prisons in Leavenworth, Kansas. They arrived on the island separately and at different times — John on October 24, 1960, Clarence on January 10, 1961.

There was a fourth accomplice in the legendary story, Allen West, but he could not get out of the cell in time on the night of the escape.

For several months, the conspirators studied the prison's schedule and compared the details of the plan, expanded ventilation shafts with homemade tools, made replicas of bars and papier-mache mannequins. On June 11-12, 1962, they got out through the service corridor and set sail on a makeshift raft. Their bodies have never been found, which has given rise to many conspiracy theories that they managed to escape, but nothing is known for certain.

Conspiracy theories related to Alcatraz

The escape of Morris and the Anglin brothers was successful

According to the official version, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers drowned in the cold waters of the bay in 1962. However, the brothers' relatives claimed that they then sent them postcards and photographs, and in 2013, the FBI even received a letter allegedly from Morris. Also in 1975, according to tourists, John Anglin was spotted in Brazil.

In 2015, a photo appeared of two men, allegedly Englins, living on a farm in South America. If this theory is to be believed, the prisoners' escape was a success, but the government hid it in order to preserve the authority of the "impregnable prison."

Alcatraz is not a prison, but an object for psychological experiments.

It is widely believed that Alcatraz served as a testing ground for experiments on prisoners: they were tested for the effects of isolation, silence, and sleep deprivation. As an argument, cell No. 13 is cited, where sensory deprivation (complete darkness, cold and silence) was allegedly used, it is also mentioned in the memoirs of former inmates. In addition, the prisoners also often mentioned hallucinations, auditory disorders and complete loss of orientation.

The island is guarded by sharks

There was a legend that the waters of the bay around Alcatraz were teeming with aggressive sharks, and this was one of the reasons why escape was impossible. According to conspiracy theory, such a myth could have been spread by the US government itself in order to intimidate prisoners and extinguish their desire to escape by swimming. In fact, there are leopard sharks in the bay, but they are not dangerous to humans.

Secret underground tunnels

There are versions that secret underground passages and bunkers are located under the prison, built back in the days when the island was a military fortress. Some believe that prisoners were transferred through them secretly or even used such passages for secret operations.

Alcatraz was shut down to hide the truth

The prison was officially closed in 1963 due to the high cost of maintenance, but there is an opinion that the real reason was a leak of information: either the escape was really successful, or illegal experiments and torture became known.

Films about "Alcatraz"

The majestic prison has inspired Hollywood to create dozens of fascinating escape attempts, including the popular "Escape from Alcatraz" starring Clint Eastwood and "The Rock" starring Sean Connery, and the key events of "The Book of Eli" and "X-Men" unfold on Alcatraz Island. The last battle."