Why did they close down Alcatraz?

Alcatraz--way out on the west coast of the country--was a problem. The cost of sending a national clientele to this far west location was why Director Bennett suggested Alcatraz be "shut down and replaced by an institution more centrally located and less difficult to operate". read more

Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay closes down and transfers its last prisoners. At it’s peak period of use in 1950s, “The Rock, or “”America’s Devil Island” housed over 200 inmates at the maximum-security facility. read more

On March 21, 1963, USP Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation. It did not close because of the disappearance of Morris and the Anglins (the decision to close the prison was made long before the three disappeared), but because the institution was too expensive to continue operating. read more