Trump said in the post that the structure would house the country\u2019s \u201cmost ruthless and violent\u201d offenders. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alcatraz, a popular tourist attraction, closed as a prison in 1963 after federal officials said it was too expensive to operate.<\/p>\n
(Justin Sullivan \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A Justice Department spokesperson said Bondi and Burgum were set to be briefed on the facility as part of their visit, and would be meeting with U.S. Park Police and other officials about what planning would be necessary to rehabilitate and reopen the facility as a prison. <\/p>\n
Currently, the facility serves as a popular tourist attraction for visitors to San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Bondi and Burgum on Thursday visited cells that at one point housed infamous criminals such as Al Capone and George \u201cMachine Gun\u201d Kelly, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of the Interior. <\/p>\n
The two also toured Alcatraz\u2019s power station, visiting dock and industry building.<\/p>\n
Originally opened in 1934, the prison closed its doors to convicts in 1963 after federal officials determined it was too costly to operate. <\/p>\n
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the prison was roughly three times more costly to operate than any other such facility in the country, mostly because of its location on a 22-acre island. <\/p>\n
The need to send in supplies, including food and fresh water for guards, operators and prisoners, meant that it was cheaper to open a new facility than to operate Alcatraz, according to the Bureau of Prisons.<\/p>\n
For more than five decades now, the prison has functioned as a museum under the management of the National Park Service. <\/p>\n
The island sees about 1.4 million visitors a year and generates around $60 million in annual revenue, according to the nonprofit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, which works with the National Park Service to support national parks around the Golden Gate area. <\/p>\n
Christine Lehnertz, the conservancy\u2019s president and chief executive, described the possibility of closing Alcatraz as a landmark, and using it once again as a prison, as a mistake. <\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting Alcatraz means protecting a global site of reflection, where people come to learn and grow,\u201d Lehnertz said in a statement. \u201cIf we lose that, we lose more than a landmark \u2014 we lose an opportunity to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n