List of jail and prison museums

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia

Museums have been created from many former jails and prisons.

Some old jails converted into museums are listed under the original name of the jail, especially if listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. For example, see Old St. Johns County Jail in St Augustine, Florida.

Museums with a main purpose not associated with the jail or prison[What is the difference between a jail (or gaol) and a prison?] in which they are located are listed separately, below the main list.

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name Location State/Province Country Jail/
Prison 		Notes
Adelaide Gaol Adelaide South Australia Australia Prison
Seodaemun Prison Seoul Seoul Capital Area South Korea Prison
1811 Lincoln County Museum & Old Jail Wiscasset Maine United States Jail
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary Petros Tennessee United States State Prison
Abashiri Prison Museum Abashiri Hokkaido Japan Prison The only prison museum in Japan.[1]
Alcatraz Island San Francisco Bay Area California United States Prison
Ancienne Prison de Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières Quebec Canada Prison
Beaumaris Gaol Beaumaris Anglesey, Wales United Kingdom Jail
Bodmin Gaol Bodmin Cornwall United Kingdom Jail http://www.bodminjail.org/
Buckingham Old Gaol Buckingham Buckinghamshire United Kingdom Jail Museum of Buckingham and rural life as well as the building as a prison
Burlington County Prison Mount Holly New Jersey United States Prison
Carthage Jail Carthage Illinois United States Jail location of the death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
Cell Block 7 Prison Museum, State Prison of Southern Michigan Jackson, Michigan Michigan United States Prison Closed as of December 2019.
Central Penitentiary San José San José Province Costa Rica Prison
Cellular Jail Port Blair Andaman and Nicobar Islands India Prison Many Indian Independence activists were kept in this prison by the British during the British Raj in India.
Clink, The London London Borough of Southwark United Kingdom Prison
Cork City Gaol Cork County Cork Republic of Ireland Prison
Crumlin Road (HM Prison) Belfast Northern Ireland United Kingdom Prison
Daviess County Rotary Jail and Sheriff's Residence Gallatin Missouri United States Jail Rotary Jail
Eastern State Penitentiary Philadelphia Pennsylvania United States Prison
Eden Camp Museum Malton North Yorkshire United Kingdom Prison
Ely Museum Ely Cambridgeshire United Kingdom Jail Official website
Fremantle Prison Fremantle Western Australia Australia Prison
Galleries of Justice Nottingham Nottinghamshire United Kingdom Jail and Prison
Gevangenpoort The Hague South Holland Netherlands Prison
Gloucester Prison Gloucester Gloucestershire United Kingdom Prison
Hexham Old Gaol Hexham Northumberland United Kingdom Prison
Historic Cornwall Jail Cornwall Ontario Canada Jail
Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum Southern District Stanley Hong Kong Prison Official webpage
The museum comprises ten galleries with one mock gallows and two mock cells.
Horsens Statsfængsel (Horsens Prison Museum) Horsens Region Midtjylland Denmark Prison Official website
Inveraray Jail Inveraray Argyll, Scotland United Kingdom
Jail Museum (Truckee, California) Truckee California United States Jail
Kansas Regional Prisons Museum Lansing Kansas United States Prison [1]
The Lansing Historical Museum is home to hundreds of artifacts and documents relating to the Kansas State Penitentiary/Lansing Correctional Facility.
Kilmainham Gaol Kilmainham Dublin Ireland Prison
Kingston Penitentiary Kingston Ontario Canada Prison Constructed 1833–1835, Kingston Penitentiary is the oldest standing prison dating to pre-confederation in Canada. After closing in 2013, the institution began operating tours seasonally from May–October, offering guided tours with online ticketing and Tour Guides as well as retired Correctional Staff on site to provide information to guests.
Cobourg Jail Cobourg Ontario Canada Jail Part of the jail is incorporated into the King George Inn, which includes a museum and artifacts from its time as a working jail.[2]
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery Beloozero Vologda Oblast Russia Prison
Kosciusko County Jail Museum Warsaw Indiana United States Jail
Liberty Jail Liberty Missouri United States Jail Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and associates were imprisoned there in 1838–1839 during the 1838 Mormon War.
Littledean Jail Gloucestershire United Kingdom Jail http://www.littledeanjail.com
L'Orignal Old Jail Orignal Ontario Canada Jail
Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola Louisiana United States Prison "Opening in 1997, the Museum at the Louisiana State Penitentiary was established to preserve the long and storied history of crime, punishment, rehabilitation, criminal justice, and reform in Louisiana."[3]

http://angolamuseum.org/ The Louisiana State Penitentiary also has an annual Prison Rodeo, which first began in 1965. The first public Angola Prison Rodeo was in 1967.[4]

Lubyanka (KGB) Moscow Moscow Oblast Russia Prison On Lubyanka Square
Ludwigsburg Prison Museum Ludwigsburg Baden-Württemberg Germany Prison
Malaysia Prison Museum Malacca City Malacca Malaysia Prison
Memorial and Education Centre Andreasstrasse Erfurt Thuringia Germany Prison Former Stasi prison, used for holding political prisoners.
Mills County Old Jail Museum Goldwaite Texas United States Jail
Missouri State Penitentiary Jefferson City Missouri United States Prison
Montgomery County Jail and Sheriff's Residence Crawfordsville Indiana United States Jail Rotary Jail
Moore County Old Jail Museum Lynchburg Tennessee United States Jail
Museu Penitenciário do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Brazil Prison
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec Quebec City Quebec Canada Prison Mostly an art museum
Museo de Tradiciones y Leyendas León León Department Nicaragua Jail
Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Argentina Prison http://museomaritimo.com/
Nationaal Gevangenismuseum Veenhuizen Drenthe Netherlands Prison National Dutch prison museum
Newcastle Gaol Museum Toodyay Western Australia Australia
Norwegian POW Museum Ostrzeszów Greater Poland Voivodeship, also known as Wielkopolska Province Poland Prison World War II POW camp
Ohio State Reformatory Mansfield Ohio United States Prison
Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums West Bend, Wisconsin Wisconsin United States Jail Operated by Washington County Historical Society, Inc.
Old Franklin County Jail in the former Franklin County Jail Chambersburg Pennsylvania United States Jail
Hamilton County Historical Museum
in the Old Hamilton County Jail 		Jasper Florida United States Jail Web page
Old Tolland County Jail and Museum Tolland Connecticut United States Jail
Old City Jail (Mount Dora, Florida) Mount Dora Florida United States Jail Currently houses the Royellou Museum.
Old Fauquier County Jail Warrenton Virginia United States Jail
Old Idaho State Penitentiary Boise Idaho United States Prison
1859 Jail and Museum Independence Missouri United States Jail Website
Olde Gaol Museum Lindsay Ontario Canada Jail Website
Old Jail Museum (Albion, Indiana) Albion Indiana United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Allegan, Michigan) Allegan Michigan United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Barnesville, Georgia) Barnesville Georgia United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Canton, Mississippi) Canton Mississippi United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Conyers, Georgia) in the former Rockdale County Jail Conyers Georgia United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Crawfordsville, Indiana) Crawfordsville Indiana United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Dubuque, Indiana) in the former Dubuque County Jail Dubuque Iowa United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Gonzales, Texas) Gonzales Texas United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Goochland, Virginia) Goochland Virginia United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Greenwood, Arkansas) Greenwood Arkansas United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania) Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Iola, Kansas) Iola Kansas United States Jail information
Old Jail Museum (Knoxville, Georgia) Knoxville Georgia United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Lawrenceburg, Tennessee) Lawrenceburg Tennessee United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Smethport, Pennsylvania) Smethport Pennsylvania United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Silverton, Texas) Silverton Texas United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (St. Augustine, Florida) in the Old St. Johns County Jail St. Augustine Florida United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Taylorsville, North Carolina) Taylorsville North Carolina United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Thompson Falls, Montana) Thompson Montana United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Valparaiso, Indiana) Valparaiso Indiana United States Jail
Old Jail Museum (Winchester, Tennessee) Winchester Tennessee United States Jail
Old Joliet Prison Joliet Illinois United States Prison
Old Melbourne Jail Melbourne Victoria Australia Convict Prison
Old Newgate Prison East Granby Connecticut United States Prison Former mine/Colonial prison; also spelled "Old New-Gate Prison"
Old Prison (Victoria) Ċittadella Victoria, Gozo Malta Prison Official webpage
Old Prison Museum (Deer Lodge, Montana) Deer Lodge Montana United States Prison
Old Wilkes Jail (Wilkesboro, North Carolina) Wilkesboro North Carolina United States Jail Tom Dooley of the song "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley" was held here before his trial.
Patarei Prison Tallinn Harju County Estonia Prison Official webpage
Peter and Paul Fortress St. Petersburg St. Petersburg Russia Prison
Peterhead Prison Peterhead Aberdeenshire Scotland Convict Prison
Pied-du-Courant Prison Montreal Quebec Canada Prison
Port Arthur Port Arthur Tasmania Australia Convict Prison
Pottawattamie County Jail Council Bluffs Iowa United States Jail Rotary Jail
Presidio Modelo Nueva Gerona Isla de la Juventud Cuba Prison
Qasr Prison (Qasr museum-Qarden) Tehran Tehran Iran Prison Official webpage
Richard III Museum York North Yorkshire United Kingdom Prison Primarily about Richard III, the museum also has a working portcullis, a medieval execution chamber, and a small prison cell
Robben Island Museum Robben Island Western Cape South Africa Prison
Sabine County Jail Museum and Vergie Speights Memorial Library Hemphill Texas United States Jail
San Jacinto County Jail Coldspring Texas United States Jail
Shepton Mallet Prison Shepton Mallet Somerset United Kingdom Prison
Shrewsbury Prison Shrewsbury Shropshire United Kingdom Prison
Solovetsky Monastery Solovetsky Islands Russia
Texas Prison Museum Huntsville Texas United States Prison
Anti-sabotage joint committee Prison (Ebrat Museum of Iran) Tehran Tehran Iran Prison ebratmuseum.ir//
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Phnom Penh Cambodia Prison
Ulucanlar Prison Museum Altındağ Ankara Turkey Prison www.ulucanlarcezaevimuzesi.com
West Virginia Penitentiary Moundsville West Virginia United States Prison www.wvpentours.com
Wicklow Gaol Wicklow County Wicklow Republic of Ireland Prison Irish National Monument
Wilson County Jailhouse Museum Floresville Texas United States Jail
Wyoming Frontier Prison (Rawlins, Wyoming) Rawlins Wyoming United States Prison
Wyoming Territorial Prison (Laramie, Wyoming) Laramie Wyoming United States Prison www.wyomingterritorialprison.com//
Yuma Territorial Prison Yuma Arizona United States Prison

See also

References

  1. ^ "Abashiri astounds with its ice and convict connections". The Japan Times. 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  2. ^ Ron Brown (2006). Behind Bars: Inside Ontario's Heritage Gaols. Dundurn. p. 25. ISBN 9781459711143.
  3. ^ "Our Foundation". Louisiana Prison Museum & Cultural Center. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  4. ^ "Prison Rodeo". Louisiana Prison Museum & Cultural Center. Retrieved 2023-12-27.