Never let it be said that President Donald Trump is one to shy away from big notions.
According to a recent report by RedState’s Bob Hoge, one idea being considered is reopening Alcatraz prison to hold the country’s most dangerous and beyond redemption criminals. This proposal is intriguing, given that Colorado’s Supermax prison already detains similar individuals.
Alcatraz holds a unique status due to its history, as no successful escape attempts were ever confirmed from the island fortress. Nevertheless, when it comes to island prisons, other options exist. Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI agent, has put forward an alternative suggestion.
Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI agent, shared with Fox News Digital his proposal for an even more effective location to construct a prison aimed at discouraging criminal activities.
“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.
