Prisons

The ruins of Illinois's first state penitentiary, and former Federal Military Prison, from 1833.

Walk through a well-preserved World War II Nazi prison and transit camp.

One of Australia’s most complete colonial prison complexes.

A striking symbol of the Troubles, this semi-demolished prison was home to the largest prison escape in the history of the British Isles.

The old Workhouse in Ripon was the last resort for the poor of the district from 1834 until the birth of the British welfare state in the mid 20th century. It is now a poignant museum reminding us of the harshness of the Victorian poor law regime.

Over 70,000 prisoners were “transported” to a brutal life of forced labor in this French penal colony.

Breakfast and lunch in a canteen where the servers and kitchen staff are prison inmates.

The site of Mexico’s last civilian execution is now a museum dedicated to regional history.

Hidden beneath a craft market, this underground cell preserves a physical space from Brazil’s military dictatorship.

This abandoned building with a murky history has been both a school and a prison.

Early Nazi prison for political prisoners.

Canada’s infamous maximum-security prison, now open for guided tours with former guards.

An abandoned Ontario prison turned over to time and nature.

This building has been a courtroom, a prison, and the location of the last public hanging in Dalkeith.

One of the world’s oldest surviving convict prisons, once the scene of daring escapes and riots.

This historic prison is the oldest in Ontario and the second oldest in Canada.

This sanitorium-turned-asylum-turned-prison is now abandoned and a hotspot for enjoyers of the paranormal.

A prison-turned-museum sheds light on modern Turkish history.