Chiayi Old Prison

Chiayi Old Prison (traditional Chinese: 嘉義舊監獄; simplified Chinese: 嘉义旧监狱; 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 (traditional Chinese: 獄政博物館; simplified Chinese: 狱政博物馆; pinyin: Yùzhèng Bówùguǎn) in 2011. It was designated as a historic monument of Taiwan in 2005.

Chiayi Old Prison
嘉義舊監獄
LocationEast, Chiayi City, Taiwan
Coordinates23.4862°N 120.45910°E / 23.4862; 120.45910
StatusMuseum
Opened1922
Former nameTainan Prison Chiayi Branch

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 by 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

References
  1. "Chiayi Old Prison". Travel in Chiayi Net. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
  2. Tsai, June (2011-03-04). "Chiayi struggles to unlock prison history". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
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