Donald Trump orders the re-opening of notorious Alcatraz prison

Donald Trump has issued a statement ordering for the re-opening of the notorious Alcatraz prison.

The infamous maximum security lock-up, which once housed well-known gangster Al Capone, shut down back in 1963 and is located near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Since its closure, it has become a very successful tourist attraction. But it looks like Trump wants it back up and running as a prison again.

Taking to his own social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday (4 May), Trump penned: "REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.

"When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm."

The 78-year-old Republican, who is also the first convicted felon to assume the presidential role in the US, continued: "That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.

"That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders."

The notorious Alcatraz prison was shut down back in 1963 (Getty Stock Images)

He rounded off: "We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally.

"The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

He later followed up with a black and white snap of Alcatraz prison.

Alcatraz was originally built as a naval defence fort and was rebuilt in the early 20th century as a military prison.

It wasn't until the 1930s that the Department of Justice took it over and began taking in convicts from the federal prison system.

Why did Alcatraz close?

The reason why it closed back in the 1960s was because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to the Federal Bureau of Prison website, as it was reportedly nearly three times more costly to operate than any other federal prison, largely due to its island location.

Professor Gabriel Jack Chin from the Davis School of Law at the University of California told the BBC that it would take a very large sum of money to make Alcatraz into a functioning prison again.

The outlet reports that the federal prison system is actually down about 25 percent from its peak population and 'there are a lot of empty beds' in existing prisons, Chin said, adding: "So its not clear if a new one is needed."

Chin added that Alcatraz has 'a reputation as a tough prison' and Trump is trying to send a message that his administration will be tough on crime.