May 6, 2025 • 8 mins
There are three big areas of improvement that would need to take place in order to bring Alcatraz back online as a federal prison.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Brian Mudshow podcast is driven by Brayman Motor Cars.
My family is a Brayman Motor Cars family. Your family
should be to visit Braymanmotorcars dot com. You have questions,
Brian has answers. It's time for today's Q and A
of today. This is the Brian mud Show. Yeah, today's
(00:23):
Q and A is reopening Alcatraz Realistic. All right, So
this is brought to you by Moan Listen Ashes, check
Mark collections. Each day I feature a listener question sent
by one of these methods. You may email me Brian
Mudd at iHeartMedia dot com, hand me up on social
at Brian mud Radio. We also use the iHeartRadio talk
(00:43):
back feature. We would love it if you would go
into the iHeart Radio app and have a good time,
which you can do because you can listen about anything there.
But of course that means a US and so we
would love it if you made us number one Preset.
Would also love it if you made The Brian mood
Show podcast number two preset. That way, we're always there
for you on demand. You can listen any time for free,
(01:04):
never miss anything, and while you're in there you'll see
a little microphone button. You see it, it's happened. You
may lay out a message right there, maybe a topic
or question for a future Q and A and today's
notice this at Brian Mud Radio. Maga make Alcatraz great again?
Love it? Send kill maar In company there? What needs
(01:25):
to happen to make this happen? See joeld gets a
kick out the send kill Maarin company there the name.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
But also I thought about that yesterday. I thought, hey,
you know, well they want to bring him quote unquote home,
so you could bring him back to the US and
throw them in Alcatraz. There you go.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
It sounds like it could be the name of the
show or something.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It does.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah, I feel like the show for illegal immigrants a
Kill Maarin company terrorizing the United States since twenty twelve.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I mean, the show of the illegal immigrants. You could
just call the Biden administration.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
There you go. So about this about the other maga,
you know, making Alcatraz great again? White House Deputy Chief
of Staff Stephen Miller, on with Laura Ingram last night,
said this, we need a place in this country where
we can send people to visually demonstrate their total separation
from society. The fact that they're not going to live
(02:19):
among us and will never live among us. There you go.
It is a good place for Kilmarin company, all right.
So an act of the question was what needs to
happen to make this happen? Well, we need an Act
of Congress and the conversion of the former federal prison
from a National Park Service tourist attraction back into a
(02:39):
federal prison. Hence the need for an Act of Congress
to provide funding for this conversion. So yes. On Sunday,
President Trump announced his intention to reopen Alcatraz as a
functional federal prison. Now, once President Trump puts bin to
paper to order the conversion, the process actually does begin
to take place. He has the authority to do this.
(03:02):
The President doesn't need Congress to ratify that part of
the decision. He will, however, need Congress to provide the
funding for the conversion, although he may have already had
a head start if he's able to redirect funds allocated
by Congress to the National Park Service for Alcatraz repairs
last year. So about that. Alcatraz was last in use
(03:25):
as a federal prison in nineteen sixty three. This was
right about the time that Joe Biden was getting divorced,
I think from his first wife. Actually that's not even
a good one because it's pretty close. Actually it's not
far and moved from that anyway, not only as much
of the original infrastructure no longer intact, but all prison
(03:48):
standards have changed since then as well. Last year, Congress
provided funding for the National Park Service that included fifty
million dollars for renovations of Alcatraz to address deterioration, including
saltwater exposure and structural repairs. Many of those repairs are necessary,
whether it just stands as a tourist attraction or a
(04:10):
federal prison. So what are we talking about in money?
Initial estimates suggests at least bottom of the barrel, one
hundred million dollars is needed for the conversion of the
park back into a prison to meet current standards, with
costs of like hey, if we're going to turn Alcatraz, yeah,
like if we're really going to maga the thing, we're
(04:32):
going to make it great against state of the r
federal prison there a billion dollars what you're taking a
look at? So based upon how much we want to do,
where at least one hundred million, we could be talking
a billion and about this, one of the biggest changes
that would have to take place. We would literally have
to raise the roof, like the roof isn't actually high
enough anymore by federal standards. You know, we've got to
(04:54):
have nice, comfortable standards for our federal prisons these days.
So about that. There are there are three big areas
of improvement that must take place to bring Alcatraz online
as a federal prison. First, and foremost modern prison standards.
The facility would need to be upgraded to the current
prison code. That means modern security systems. Updated plumbing, which
(05:15):
means all new plumbing everywhere. Electrical systems so ditto. All
the electrical has to be redone. Also, you have to
add AC and heat. It doesn't have that anywhere now.
One of the biggest changes the cells. The cells themselves,
they stand at nine by five. They're considered too small
(05:36):
by modern standards. Require an expansion or reconfiguration. Or maybe
we just changed the current prison code and make it
less comfortable be a federal prisoner. I mean, I'm sorry,
set an insensitive of me, insensitive of me for federal
prisoners not to be nice and comfy.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I'm fine with it, but yeah, I don't think it
would ever happen.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Second thing that needs to be done in environmental compliance,
So environmental code basically none in nineteen sixty three, so
a whole heck of a lot has change on the
environmental prison code since then. In order to bring the prison,
located in San Francisco's Bay Unless into compliance, you would
have to have new water treatment facilities added, a waste
(06:21):
management plan, and then also considerations for protected wildlife. It's
a national park right now. You got a lot of
birds that have protected some that are even endangered, that
make use of that island, So you got to figure
that piece out. And the third part seismic upgrades, so
that part of the world you've got not just the
environmental code that has changed a whole lot over the
(06:44):
past sixty years, but also the earthquake code constant consideration. Obviously,
for any California coastal building, a structural engineering analysis would
need to be conducted to see how the prison could
be retrofitted to meet the current safety standards. So do
those three things, and yes it is possible to mega Alcatraz,
(07:05):
but of course it is the getting there that could
actually take longer than President Trump even has an office.
These are the steps that must take place in this
order to bring Alcatraz back online as a prism. The
first thing is a feasibility study. The second thing is
(07:26):
congressional approval based upon the results of that feasibility study.
The third thing environmental and historic reviews that must take place.
The fourth thing infrastructure overhaul. So these are like the
actual renovations. The fifth thing staffing and logistics. So obviously
(07:46):
you have to figure out the staffing and then also
supply chains and the logistics of help people get on,
how they get off safely and all that. And then
the sixth public engagement. So anytime you do something like
this or has to be a period for public common
as well well. So to give you an idea, the
very first step that feasibility study, even if that is
commissioned at a minimum, you don't have one for a
(08:10):
federal prison that has done in less than a year,
up to two years. And then you figured this is Alcatraz,
so who knows, So you're talking that long just to
get to step one at this point so it can happen,
It's not going to happen anytime soon.
The Brian Mudshow podcast is driven by Brayman Motor Cars.
My family is a Brayman Motor Cars family. Your family
should be to visit Braymanmotorcars dot com. You have questions,
Brian has answers. It's time for today's Q and A
of today. This is the Brian mud Show. Yeah, today's
(00:23):
Q and A is reopening Alcatraz Realistic. All right, So
this is brought to you by Moan Listen Ashes, check
Mark collections. Each day I feature a listener question sent
by one of these methods. You may email me Brian
Mudd at iHeartMedia dot com, hand me up on social
at Brian mud Radio. We also use the iHeartRadio talk
(00:43):
back feature. We would love it if you would go
into the iHeart Radio app and have a good time,
which you can do because you can listen about anything there.
But of course that means a US and so we
would love it if you made us number one Preset.
Would also love it if you made The Brian mood
Show podcast number two preset. That way, we're always there
for you on demand. You can listen any time for free,
(01:04):
never miss anything, and while you're in there you'll see
a little microphone button. You see it, it's happened. You
may lay out a message right there, maybe a topic
or question for a future Q and A and today's
notice this at Brian Mud Radio. Maga make Alcatraz great again?
Love it? Send kill maar In company there? What needs
(01:25):
to happen to make this happen? See joeld gets a
kick out the send kill Maarin company there the name.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
But also I thought about that yesterday. I thought, hey,
you know, well they want to bring him quote unquote home,
so you could bring him back to the US and
throw them in Alcatraz. There you go.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
It sounds like it could be the name of the
show or something.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It does.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah, I feel like the show for illegal immigrants a
Kill Maarin company terrorizing the United States since twenty twelve.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I mean, the show of the illegal immigrants. You could
just call the Biden administration.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
There you go. So about this about the other maga,
you know, making Alcatraz great again? White House Deputy Chief
of Staff Stephen Miller, on with Laura Ingram last night,
said this, we need a place in this country where
we can send people to visually demonstrate their total separation
from society. The fact that they're not going to live
(02:19):
among us and will never live among us. There you go.
It is a good place for Kilmarin company, all right.
So an act of the question was what needs to
happen to make this happen? Well, we need an Act
of Congress and the conversion of the former federal prison
from a National Park Service tourist attraction back into a
(02:39):
federal prison. Hence the need for an Act of Congress
to provide funding for this conversion. So yes. On Sunday,
President Trump announced his intention to reopen Alcatraz as a
functional federal prison. Now, once President Trump puts bin to
paper to order the conversion, the process actually does begin
to take place. He has the authority to do this.
(03:02):
The President doesn't need Congress to ratify that part of
the decision. He will, however, need Congress to provide the
funding for the conversion, although he may have already had
a head start if he's able to redirect funds allocated
by Congress to the National Park Service for Alcatraz repairs
last year. So about that. Alcatraz was last in use
(03:25):
as a federal prison in nineteen sixty three. This was
right about the time that Joe Biden was getting divorced,
I think from his first wife. Actually that's not even
a good one because it's pretty close. Actually it's not
far and moved from that anyway, not only as much
of the original infrastructure no longer intact, but all prison
(03:48):
standards have changed since then as well. Last year, Congress
provided funding for the National Park Service that included fifty
million dollars for renovations of Alcatraz to address deterioration, including
saltwater exposure and structural repairs. Many of those repairs are necessary,
whether it just stands as a tourist attraction or a
(04:10):
federal prison. So what are we talking about in money?
Initial estimates suggests at least bottom of the barrel, one
hundred million dollars is needed for the conversion of the
park back into a prison to meet current standards, with
costs of like hey, if we're going to turn Alcatraz, yeah,
like if we're really going to maga the thing, we're
(04:32):
going to make it great against state of the r
federal prison there a billion dollars what you're taking a
look at? So based upon how much we want to do,
where at least one hundred million, we could be talking
a billion and about this, one of the biggest changes
that would have to take place. We would literally have
to raise the roof, like the roof isn't actually high
enough anymore by federal standards. You know, we've got to
(04:54):
have nice, comfortable standards for our federal prisons these days.
So about that. There are there are three big areas
of improvement that must take place to bring Alcatraz online
as a federal prison. First, and foremost modern prison standards.
The facility would need to be upgraded to the current
prison code. That means modern security systems. Updated plumbing, which
(05:15):
means all new plumbing everywhere. Electrical systems so ditto. All
the electrical has to be redone. Also, you have to
add AC and heat. It doesn't have that anywhere now.
One of the biggest changes the cells. The cells themselves,
they stand at nine by five. They're considered too small
(05:36):
by modern standards. Require an expansion or reconfiguration. Or maybe
we just changed the current prison code and make it
less comfortable be a federal prisoner. I mean, I'm sorry,
set an insensitive of me, insensitive of me for federal
prisoners not to be nice and comfy.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I'm fine with it, but yeah, I don't think it
would ever happen.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Second thing that needs to be done in environmental compliance,
So environmental code basically none in nineteen sixty three, so
a whole heck of a lot has change on the
environmental prison code since then. In order to bring the prison,
located in San Francisco's Bay Unless into compliance, you would
have to have new water treatment facilities added, a waste
(06:21):
management plan, and then also considerations for protected wildlife. It's
a national park right now. You got a lot of
birds that have protected some that are even endangered, that
make use of that island, So you got to figure
that piece out. And the third part seismic upgrades, so
that part of the world you've got not just the
environmental code that has changed a whole lot over the
(06:44):
past sixty years, but also the earthquake code constant consideration. Obviously,
for any California coastal building, a structural engineering analysis would
need to be conducted to see how the prison could
be retrofitted to meet the current safety standards. So do
those three things, and yes it is possible to mega Alcatraz,
(07:05):
but of course it is the getting there that could
actually take longer than President Trump even has an office.
These are the steps that must take place in this
order to bring Alcatraz back online as a prism. The
first thing is a feasibility study. The second thing is
(07:26):
congressional approval based upon the results of that feasibility study.
The third thing environmental and historic reviews that must take place.
The fourth thing infrastructure overhaul. So these are like the
actual renovations. The fifth thing staffing and logistics. So obviously
(07:46):
you have to figure out the staffing and then also
supply chains and the logistics of help people get on,
how they get off safely and all that. And then
the sixth public engagement. So anytime you do something like
this or has to be a period for public common
as well well. So to give you an idea, the
very first step that feasibility study, even if that is
commissioned at a minimum, you don't have one for a
(08:10):
federal prison that has done in less than a year,
up to two years. And then you figured this is Alcatraz,
so who knows, So you're talking that long just to
get to step one at this point so it can happen,
It's not going to happen anytime soon.
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