What is Alcatraz and why does US President Trump want to reopen it?

From the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in the US city San Francisco, a remote island can be seen in the bay.

Its name is Alcatraz Island and at one time it was the site of one of the most famous prisons in the world.

Sometimes called The Rock, Alcatraz was a prison for high-profile criminals including notorious gangster Al Capone.

The prison closed over sixty years ago and is now a tourist destination.

That could all be about to change, as on Sunday, President Donald Trump announced he would like it to reopen the site as a prison once again.

Writing on his social media site Truth Social, the president said that he has put in orders for Alcatraz to be "enlarged and rebuilt" to "house America's most ruthless and violent offenders".

Mr Trump's plans have been dismissed by leading politicians from the opposing Democrat party.

Democrat representative Nancy Pelosi criticised the idea as "not a serious one".

What is Alcatraz?

Alcatraz Island was first used by the US army, who opened a military prison on the site in 1850.

In 1933, the Department of Justice took over Alcatraz, turning it into a prison for those considered especially dangerous, or for prisoners who did not follow the rules at other institutions.

Because the prison was surrounded by water and had strong defences, it was famous for being inescapable.

Some of its famous prisoners included gangsters Al Capone, Mickey Cohen and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.

Why was Alcatraz closed?

In 1963, the Alcatraz prison closed.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the cost of keeping Alcatraz open was too high - nearly three times as expensive as other US prisons.

They said maintenance costs, and the fact that everything had to be brought to Alcatraz by boat, meant that it was simply to expensive to run.

Today the island is open to the public, and many people visit to learn about the history of the prison.

But President Trump's new plans could see this change.

What have people said about President Trump's plans?

Donald Trump has often spoke about his plan to tackle crime in the United States - both before and after his election.

On Truth Social, the president said that "for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders", and that a new Alcatraz would be a "symbol of law, order, and justice".

President Trump has directed his government to reopen the prison, but it is not yet known when this would happen.

Speaking to the BBC, Professor Gabriel Jack Chin from the Davis School of Law at the University of California said that it would take lots of money to make Alcatraz a working prison again.

Professor Chin also there are currently "a lot of empty beds" in the US federal prison system, so it's not clear if a new prison is actually needed.