Never let it be said that President Donald Trump is one to shy away from big notions.
One intriguing concept, as highlighted by RedState’s Bob Hoge, is the possibility of re-opening the notorious Alcatraz prison to accommodate some of the country’s most dangerous and unredeemable criminals. This proposal captures attention, despite the fact that we already have the Supermax facility in Colorado, which currently holds individuals of a similar nature.
Nonetheless, Alcatraz stands out due to its unique location. Historically, no escape from this island prison has ever been confirmed. However, when considering island prisons, there are other alternatives; former FBI agent Jonathan Gilliam proposes a different location.
Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI special agent, suggested to Fox News Digital that he has a superior idea regarding a location to construct a prison, one that could effectively deter criminal behavior.
“If you want to build a prison, forget about Alcatraz,” Gilliam said, pitching San Clemente Island in California as a possible location for the prison.
San Clemente Island is primarily used by the U.S. Navy for several purposes, including training to become a Navy SEAL. The island is only accessible by boat and air, rendering it hard to reach for most people.
Gilliam said San Clemente Island is well-suited to host a prison similar to Alcatraz because of its size and distance from California’s coast, as it’s around 80 miles from San Diego.
Now that’s an interesting idea.
Island prisons have a long history, from Napoleon’s exile to Elba to the infamous Devil’s Island to the Dry Tortugas. There are a lot of advantages, not the least of which is that being miles from any mainland makes escape, at best, extremely unlikely. Alcatraz has the added advantage of being in a location where swift, cold currents make swimming to the mainland a considerable task, but San Clemente Island kicks that difficulty to the next level by being 80 miles away from land. Even Johnny Weissmuller would find that a long slog.
