Why Alcatraz Penitentiary Closed in 1963

The federal penitentiary on Alcatraz lasted 29 years. This page explains why it closed, how the last day went, whether it could reopen and what happened afterwards.

Reasons for closing

Cost. An island prison is expensive to run. Food, water and supplies all arrived by boat, and the island needed its own power plant. One congressman claimed that housing the inmates at the Waldorf Astoria, room service included, would cost taxpayers less than keeping them at Alcatraz.

Location. In 1952, Bureau of Prisons Director James Bennett noted that the island’s position on the far west coast made it awkward for an institution with a national population. He suggested it should be shut down and replaced by one more centrally placed and easier to operate.

Condition of the buildings. A 1961 engineering survey found the structures in dangerous shape and estimated repairs at five million dollars. Constant salt spray had rusted the steel reinforcement inside the concrete, which then broke apart, and the damage is still visible on the walls around the prison after half a century of exposure.

Environment. Sewage went into the bay through a pipe, untreated. Concern about this was growing, and a treatment plant promised to be costly.

Politics. Attorney General Robert Kennedy regarded Alcatraz as an example of how not to treat people and wanted it closed.

The last day

On 21 March 1963 the final 27 inmates left. The population had been reduced gradually, so only a few remained. San Francisco reporters were invited to watch, and the scene was poignant as officers left the guard towers one by one in the traditional military manner. The last man out of the front door was quoted as saying Alcatraz was never any good for anybody.

Could it reopen?

No. Politicians at various levels have mentioned the idea in speeches, and some have suggested studying the feasibility, but the funds needed to operate a prison for a few hundred men there could pay for several large penitentiaries elsewhere.

Was there a replacement?

A new federal penitentiary near Marion, Illinois, was built to take over as the system’s high-security institution. The Alcatraz men were not moved there as a group, since administrators thought hundreds of them arriving together would shock a new prison. Since then, several “supermax” prisons have been built by federal and state authorities.

After the prison

After the Justice Department closed it in 1963, the General Services Administration took over, with mostly maintenance workers on the island. A caretaker later lived there until the period known as the Indian Occupation. Not long after that ended, the National Park Service began planning to open the island as part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Read on about the occupation, or go back to how life changed over the years.