1963: Alcatraz closes as a prison The prison on Alcatraz closed in 1963 because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to the Bureau of Prisons. It was nearly three times more expensive ...

Alcatraz is transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice to be used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During its era as a federal prison, the average inmate population was between 260 to 275 ...