US President Donald Trump may spend $2 billion to open a maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, Axios reported, citing sources.
Al Capone and other famous prisoners served their sentences at the now-closed Alcatraz prison. The facility closed in 1963 for economic reasons: the buildings were falling into disrepair due to seawater, and food had to be delivered by ship. Now Trump is considering reopening a maximum-security prison on the island, which would require tearing down all the old structures and starting construction from scratch. The project could cost $2 billion.
A less expensive $1 billion option is also being considered, in which the prison would not occupy the entire area of the island. A final decision has not yet been made.
“Alcatraz has been mentioned in many films. In the public cultural consciousness, it is considered a harsh place, and the president likes it,” Axios writes.
