The content here is divided into 3 categories:
- Heritage Prisons: Buildings that housed prisons
- Lockup Cells: Self-standing or attached to courthouses, police stations or 'historical villages'
- Justice Museums: Police or courthouse museums with no cells
'Prisons' or 'Gaols' or 'Jails'?
These terms all refer to the same thing. The old English term for prisons was 'gaol', which in American English became 'jail' (both pronounced the same). The name 'gaol' was used officially in Australia until the late 19th century, when 'prisons' came into use.