Chiayi Old Prison

Coordinates: 23°29′10″N 120°27′33″E / 23.4862°N 120.45910°E

The front entrance of the Chiayi Old Prison

The Chiayi Old Prison at night

Chiayi Old Prison (Chinese: 嘉義舊監獄; pinyin: Jiāyì Jiù Jiānyù) is a former prison located at 140 Wei Hsin Road, East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan. It underwent restoration and reopened as the Chiayi Prison Museum (Chinese: 獄政博物館; pinyin: Yùzhèng Bówùguǎn) in 2011. It was designated as a historic monument of Taiwan in 2005.

History

Chiayi Prison commenced its operation in 1922 under the name of Tainan Prison Chiayi Branch.^[1] In 1994, the Chiayi Prison was relocated to Lucao Township in Chiayi County.

Architecture

A distinct feature of the Chiayi Old Prison is the radial layout of the prison blocks with a staff positioned hall in the center. In contrast to the design of panopticon prisons, individual cells cannot be seen be the staff in the central hall unless they enter individual prison blocks. Another other similar Pennsylvania-style prison building is the Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido, Japan.^[2]

Transportation

The museum is accessible within walking distance East from Beimen Station of the Alishan Forest Railway.

The central hall of the Chiayi Old Prison

Workshop One in the Chiayi Old Prison

The Chih cell block of the Chiayi Old Prison

Patrolling corridor above the ceiling of the prison block

See also

• List of museums in Taiwan
• Abashiri Prison

References

1. "Chiayi Old Prison". Travel in Chiayi Net. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
2. Tsai, June (2011-03-04). "Chiayi struggles to unlock prison history". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 2013-11-16.

External links

• The Forgotten Corner – Old Chiayi Prison
• Within these walls- a tour of Chiayi Prison