Located in Chiayi City, the national historic site—Chiayi Old Prison—was built during the Japanese colonial period and is the world's only Pennsylvania-style prison building preserved in its original location. It has now been transformed into the "Prison Administration Museum," open to the public for visits, offering an excellent venue for in-depth understanding of prison history, culture, and humanitarian care.
The construction of Chiayi Old Prison began in the eighth year of the Taisho era (1919) during the Japanese colonial period. After three years, it was completed and opened in the eleventh year of Taisho (1922). Initially, it was called the "Tainan Prison Chiayi Branch," serving regional correctional judicial functions. Over time, in 1994, the prison functions were relocated to Lucao Township in Chiayi County, leaving the original site unused. However, this land carrying historical memories was not forgotten. Its historic architectural value was recognized in 2002 when it was designated a municipal historic site; subsequently, in 2005, it was further upgraded to a national-level "national historic site," highlighting its irreplaceable status as a cultural asset.
The "P1919 Sales Department" is located to the right of the Prison Administration Museum entrance, selling many creative cultural products and foods featuring prison characteristics combined with local flavors. The sales department operates Wednesdays to Sundays from 09:30–12:00 and 13:00–17:00; since the visit was on a Tuesday, there was no opportunity to visit.
In the old-style visiting room space next to the "P1919 Sales Department," scenes of early interactions between inmates and family members are preserved. It displays areas where communication occurred through glass windows and telephones, the main method for family visits to inmates in the past. In contrast, modern prisons have developed convenient mobile visitation services via smartphones or tablets for video calls, greatly reducing the time and financial costs of prison visits. The goal is to use the power of "family support" to help inmates successfully reintegrate into society.
The Women's Education Hall inside the Prison Administration Museum was where female inmates lived. Its architectural layout is a scaled-down version of the men's prison, with single rooms, five-person rooms, and shared rooms. Due to high occupancy, shared rooms could accommodate up to 12 people. The cells were equipped only with basic toilets and sinks, based on the principle of meeting the most fundamental survival needs.
The washroom area in the Women's Education Hall retains the typical wooden lattice architectural features from the Japanese colonial period, along with a bathhouse built from white tiles. To help visitors more intuitively imagine past living scenes, the space even includes simulated mannequin figures to recreate the atmosphere of that time.
Within the Women's Education Hall, there is a special area for housing children under three years old. These children accompanied their mothers into prison because no one at home could care for them. While the mothers worked in the workshops, these young children were gathered in the nursery and cared for by dedicated staff.
The Women's Education Hall also features an exhibition area that mainly uses text panels and photos to introduce the historical evolution of Chiayi Old Prison and related information about Taiwan's prisons. One panel is particularly eye-catching, introducing specialty self-produced products from prisons across Taiwan, showcasing the creative achievements of various prisons in skill training and rehabilitation counseling. Examples include scallion pancakes from Yilan Prison, meatballs from Hsinchu Prison, mulberry vinegar from Chiayi Prison, soft candies from Taipei Prison, chocolates from Taichung Women's Prison, pastries from Keelung Prison, buckwheat noodles from Changhua Prison, and a variety of fruits and vegetables from Ziqiang Prison.
The "Rixin Hall" was the main auditorium space in the prison back then, used for various performances and events. It was an important venue where inmates received education and cultural enrichment. Its significance went beyond mere correctional functions, extending to the spiritual education and social adaptation of inmates.
Strolling through the courtyard of Chiayi Old Prison, you will find several miniature creative works. These are artworks completed by inmates after receiving skill training, using their ingenuity and craftsmanship. Although time has passed and these installations show some signs of wear, their high level of completion still preserves the creators' dedication and artistic vitality, forming a unique scenic feature in the courtyard.
The First and Second Workshops, once the work areas for inmates at Chiayi Old Prison, have now been transformed into exhibition spaces displaying inmates' artworks and models of prison buildings from across Taiwan.
In the model exhibition area of prison buildings from across Taiwan, visitors can see an exhibition resembling a "Prison Miniature World," featuring models of modern prisons and detention centers throughout Taiwan. These detailed models provide an excellent visual window into the architectural features and functional zoning of Taiwan's correctional institutions.
The exhibition area for inmates' creative works features pieces made from historical artifacts unearthed during the renovation of the Chiayi Old Prison historic site, including black tiles, cypress wood, handcuffs, leg irons, cell door locks, keys, and even long-lost casting techniques for printing lead and copper type molds. These ancient remnants have been given new life by talented inmates from the Chiayi Prison's arts and crafts class under the Agency of Corrections, Ministry of Justice. They used creative ingenuity to transform these heavy objects from the past into 46 meaningful artistic creations. One work titled "Love" is composed of obsolete letterpress printing type molds, symbolizing how a mother's love is like an eternal warmth, offering endless comfort and strength.
Located at the center of the radial cell blocks, the "Central Platform" is the soul of Chiayi Old Prison's architectural design. It served as a key hub for monitoring all cell blocks and was the mandatory passage for inmates entering and exiting the cells, undergoing strict management and inspections. Daily roll calls, body searches, and checks were conducted here, as well as before and after supervisors led inmates to workshops or back to their cells.
The interior of the Central Platform displays items related to management functions, along with an introduction to the evolution of inmate clothing, allowing visitors to sense the influence of different eras' correctional policies and social concepts through changes in attire.
National Historic Site—Chiayi Old Prison
No. 140, Weixin Road, Taiping Village, East District, Chiayi City (Map)
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