List of jail and prison museums


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 in which they are located are listed separately, below the main list.
NameLocationState/ProvinceCountryJail/
Prison		Notes
Adelaide GaolAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustraliaPrison-
Seodaemun PrisonSeoulSeoul Capital AreaSouth KoreaPrison
1811 Lincoln County Museum & Old JailWiscassetMaineUnited StatesJail
Brushy Mountain State PenitentiaryPetrosTennesseeUnited StatesState Prison
Abashiri Prison MuseumAbashiriHokkaidoJapanPrisonThe only prison museum in Japan.
Alcatraz IslandSan Francisco Bay AreaCaliforniaUnited StatesPrison
Ancienne Prison de Trois-RivièresTrois-RivièresQuebecCanadaPrison
Beaumaris GaolBeaumarisAnglesey, WalesUnited KingdomJail
Bodmin GaolBodminCornwallUnited KingdomJailhttp://www.bodminjail.org/
Buckingham Old GaolBuckinghamBuckinghamshireUnited KingdomJailMuseum of Buckingham and rural life as well as the building as a prison
Burlington County PrisonMount HollyNew JerseyUnited StatesPrison
Carthage JailCarthageIllinoisUnited StatesJaillocation of the death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
Cell Block 7 Prison Museum, State Prison of Southern MichiganJackson, MichiganMichiganUnited StatesPrisonClosed as of December 2019.
Central PenitentiarySan JoséSan José ProvinceCosta RicaPrison
Cellular JailPort BlairAndaman and Nicobar IslandsIndiaPrisonMany Indian Independence activists were kept in this prison by the British during the British Raj in India.
Clink, TheLondonLondon Borough of SouthwarkUnited KingdomPrison
Cork City GaolCorkCounty CorkIrelandPrison
Crumlin Road BelfastNorthern IrelandUnited KingdomPrison
Daviess County Rotary Jail and Sheriff's ResidenceGallatinMissouriUnited StatesJailRotary Jail
Eastern State PenitentiaryPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUnited StatesPrison
Eden Camp MuseumMaltonNorth YorkshireUnited KingdomPrison
Ely MuseumElyCambridgeshireUnited KingdomJail
Fremantle PrisonFremantleWestern AustraliaAustraliaPrison
Galleries of JusticeNottinghamNottinghamshireUnited KingdomJail and Prison
GevangenpoortThe HagueSouth HollandNetherlandsPrison
GloucesterGloucestershireUnited KingdomPrison
Hexham Old GaolHexhamNorthumberlandUnited KingdomPrison
Historic Cornwall JailCornwallOntarioCanadaJail
Hong Kong Correctional Services MuseumSouthern DistrictStanleyHong KongPrison
The museum comprises ten galleries with one mock gallows and two mock cells.
Horsens Statsfængsel HorsensRegion MidtjyllandDenmarkPrison
Inveraray JailInverarayArgyll, ScotlandUnited Kingdom
Jail Museum TruckeeCaliforniaUnited StatesJail
Kansas Regional Prisons MuseumLansingKansasUnited StatesPrison
The Lansing Historical Museum is home to hundreds of artifacts and documents relating to the Kansas State Penitentiary/Lansing Correctional Facility.
Kilmainham GaolKilmainhamDublinIrelandPrison
Kingston PenitentiaryKingstonOntarioCanadaPrisonConstructed 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 JailCobourgOntarioCanadaJailPart of the jail is incorporated into the King George Inn, which includes a museum and artifacts from its time as a working jail.
Kirillo-Belozersky MonasteryBeloozeroVologda OblastRussiaPrison
Kosciusko County Jail MuseumWarsawIndianaUnited StatesJail
Liberty JailLibertyMissouriUnited StatesJailJoseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and associates were imprisoned there in 1838–1839 during the 1838 Mormon War.
Littledean JailGloucestershireUnited KingdomJailhttp://www.littledeanjail.com
L'Orignal Old JailOriginalOntarioCanadaJail
Louisiana State PenitentiaryAngolaLouisianaUnited StatesPrison"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."
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.
Lubyanka MoscowMoscow OblastRussiaPrisonOn Lubyanka Square
Ludwigsburg Prison MuseumLudwigsburgBaden-WürttembergGermanyPrison
Malaysia Prison MuseumMalacca CityMalaccaMalaysiaPrison
Memorial and Education Centre AndreasstrasseErfurtThuringiaGermanyPrisonFormer Stasi prison, used for holding political prisoners.
Mills County Old Jail MuseumGoldwaiteTexasUnited StatesJail
Missouri State PenitentiaryJefferson CityMissouriUnited StatesPrison
Montgomery County Jail and Sheriff's ResidenceCrawfordsvilleIndianaUnited StatesJailRotary Jail
Moore County Old Jail MuseumLynchburgTennesseeUnited StatesJail
Museu Penitenciário do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazilPrison
Musée national des beaux-arts du QuébecQuebec CityQuebecCanadaPrisonMostly an art museum
Museo de Tradiciones y LeyendasLeónLeón DepartmentNicaraguaJail
Museo del Presidio de UshuaiaUshuaiaTierra del FuegoArgentinaPrisonhttp://museomaritimo.com/
Nationaal GevangenismuseumVeenhuizenDrentheNetherlandsPrisonNational Dutch prison museum
Newcastle Gaol MuseumToodyayWestern AustraliaAustralia
Norwegian POW MuseumOstrzeszówGreater Poland Voivodeship, also known as Wielkopolska ProvincePolandPrisonWorld War II POW camp
Ohio State ReformatoryMansfieldOhioUnited StatesPrison
Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse MuseumsWest Bend, WisconsinWisconsinUnited StatesJailOperated by
Old Franklin County Jail in the former Franklin County JailChambersburgPennsylvaniaUnited StatesJail
Hamilton County Historical Museum
in the Old Hamilton County Jail		JasperFloridaUnited StatesJail
Old Tolland County Jail and MuseumTollandConnecticutUnited StatesJail
Old City Jail Mount DoraFloridaUnited StatesJailCurrently houses the Royellou Museum.
Old Fauquier County JailWarrentonVirginiaUnited StatesJail
Old Idaho State PenitentiaryBoiseIdahoUnited StatesPrison-
1859 Jail and MuseumIndependenceMissouriUnited StatesJail
Olde Gaol MuseumLindsayOntarioCanadaJail
Old Jail Museum AlbionIndianaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum AlleganMichiganUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum BarnesvilleGeorgiaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum CantonMississippiUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum in the former Rockdale County JailConyersGeorgiaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum CrawfordsvilleIndianaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum in the former Dubuque County JailDubuqueIowaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum GonzalesTexasUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum GoochlandVirginiaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum GreenwoodArkansasUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum Jim ThorpePennsylvaniaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum IolaKansasUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum KnoxvilleGeorgiaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum LawrenceburgTennesseeUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum SmethportPennsylvaniaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum SilvertonTexasUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum in the Old St. Johns County JailSt. AugustineFloridaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum TaylorsvilleNorth CarolinaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum ThompsonMontanaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum ValparaisoIndianaUnited StatesJail
Old Jail Museum WinchesterTennesseeUnited StatesJail
Old Joliet PrisonJolietIllinoisUnited StatesPrison
Old Melbourne JailMelbourneVictoriaAustraliaConvict Prison
Old Newgate PrisonEast GranbyConnecticutUnited StatesPrisonFormer mine/Colonial prison; also spelled "Old New-Gate Prison"
Old Prison ĊittadellaVictoria, GozoMaltaPrison
Old Prison Museum Deer LodgeMontanaUnited StatesPrison
Old Wilkes Jail WilkesboroNorth CarolinaUnited StatesJailTom Dooley of the song "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley" was held here before his trial.
Patarei PrisonTallinnHarju CountyEstoniaPrison
Peter and Paul FortressSt. PetersburgSt. PetersburgRussiaPrison-
Peterhead PrisonPeterheadAberdeenshireScotlandConvict Prison
Pied-du-Courant PrisonMontrealQuebecCanadaPrison
Port ArthurPort ArthurTasmaniaAustraliaConvict Prison
Pottawattamie County JailCouncil BluffsIowaUnited StatesJailRotary Jail
Presidio ModeloNueva GeronaIsla de la JuventudCubaPrison
Prison Museum of SwedenGävleGävleborg CountySwedenPrison The museum documents Swedish incarceration and punishment from the 16th to the late 20th century
Qasr Prison TehranTehranIranPrison
Richard III MuseumYorkNorth YorkshireUnited KingdomPrisonPrimarily about Richard III, the museum also has a working portcullis, a medieval execution chamber, and a small prison cell
Robben Island MuseumRobben IslandWestern CapeSouth AfricaPrison
Sabine County Jail Museum and Vergie Speights Memorial LibraryHemphillTexasUnited StatesJail
San Jacinto County JailColdspringTexasUnited StatesJail
Shepton MalletSomersetUnited KingdomPrison
ShrewsburyShropshireUnited KingdomPrison
Solovetsky MonasterySolovetsky IslandsRussia
Texas Prison MuseumHuntsvilleTexasUnited StatesPrison
Anti-sabotage joint committee Prison TehranTehranIranPrison
Tuol Sleng Genocide MuseumPhnom PenhCambodiaPrison
Ulucanlar Prison MuseumAltındağAnkaraTurkeyPrison
West Virginia PenitentiaryMoundsvilleWest VirginiaUnited StatesPrison
Wicklow GaolWicklowCounty WicklowIrelandPrisonIrish National Monument
Wilson County Jailhouse MuseumFloresvilleTexasUnited StatesJail
Wyoming Frontier Prison RawlinsWyomingUnited StatesPrison
Wyoming Territorial Prison LaramieWyomingUnited StatesPrison
Yuma Territorial PrisonYumaArizonaUnited StatesPrison