Lorton Prison Museum where our history & art collide.
PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS
Lucy Burns Gallery
Counting the Days
91 Years of Prison History
Preserved Cell Block
History Elsewhere on Campus
TRANSFORMATIONS: Documenting the Pilot Substance Abuse Program
at Lorton Reformatory, 1989 - 1991
By Lloyd Wolf
On view: September 12 - November 7, 2026
McGuire Woods Gallery, W-16, 2nd floor
This documentary exhibition revisits powerful images by legendary DC-area photographer, Lloyd Wolf, while visiting inmates in the the Pilot Substance Abuse Program (PSAP) at the Lorton Correctional Complex in 1989-1990. Wolf’s portraits were part of the Washington City Paper cover story, “Prisoners’ Writes,” Vol. 10, No. 8, February 23-March 1, 1990.
Currently in the Museum’s Justice Gallery
New exhibition coming soon…
G. GORDON LIDDY Consequence, Scandal, and the Carceral Landscape of D.C. & Northern Virginia
The Reality: G. Gordon Liddy wasn't just a participant in Watergate; he was its most theatrical architect. While he cultivated a persona of the "ultimate political soldier," his actions led to a national crisis and a prison sentence he wore like a badge of honor.
The Prison Connection: Explore the "Celebrity Inmate" paradox—why Liddy’s status as a federal operative meant he never stepped foot in the D.C. Jail, despite his crimes happening just miles away.
Past Exhibitions
VOTING MATTERS
In the founding era the matter of conducting elections was left to the states, allowing them to determine who exactly got the right to vote. As time progressed there were significant evolutions to the ways elections were conducted and who could participate in them. This exhibition explores how representation, participation, and disenfranchisement have evolved with political developments throughout United States history.
Images from the exhibition installation are included. Click the link to access a PDF of the panels and maps.
In particular, voting rights following a felony conviction in the US is quite complicated. Rights are revoked and restored on a state-by-state basis. The US Department of Justice put together the Guide to State Voting Rules That Apply After a Criminal Conviction to provide instruction.