Federal officials recently visited Alcatraz as part of the president's efforts to reopen the historic site as a prison. How did we get here?

Alcatraz zookeepers refuse to give up even as species are dying in Emma Sloley's 'The Island of Last Things,' a resilient ...

With deep empathy, Emma Sloley's latest novel follows two zookeepers on Alcatraz as they navigate the ethics of survival, ...

President Donald Trump's idea to reopen Alcatraz prison is ridiculous for many reasons, but high among them: It's a ...

What most people know about Alcatraz, the infamous prison island in San Francisco Bay, centers on a daring 1962 escape by inmates Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin.

President Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz Island for some of the nation's most violent criminals. Author Jolene Babyak's family once lived on Alcatraz due to her father's work, but now the facility ...

Jolene Babyak lived on Alcatraz Island as a child during the 1950’s when her father worked as an administrator and later as a warden at the prison. “You know, for kids, it was absolutely wonderful,” ...

About 60 families of staff members lived on the island as well. Jolene Babyak lived on Alcatraz Island as a child during the 1950’s when her father worked as an administrator and later as a ...

Visitors tour the prison cells on Alcatraz Island Monday, May 5, 2025, in San Francisco. Photo by: Jed Jacobsohn / AP ...

Alcatraz Island, a military fort turned an army prison in the San Francisco Bay, is most well known for operating as a federal prison from 1934 until 1963.

“The island was always falling apart structurally — and still is,” she says. Deverell says that the idea of reopening Alcatraz — while unlikely — serves Trump as potent political messaging.

Alcatraz Island — "the Rock" — has a tumultuous history that dates back to the 1850s when it was used as a military post to protect the San Francisco Bay shoreline.