The Lorton Reformatory, also known as the Lorton Correctional Complex, is a former prison complex in Lorton, Virginia, established in 1910 for the District of Columbia, United States. The complex began as a prison farm called the Occoquan Workhouse for nonviolent offenders serving short sentences.

Today, the Lorton Reformatory's cells and echoing hallways sit empty and decaying. But once, this prison was the site of overcrowding, horrible conditions, and at least one haunting story of cruelty and abuse.

The Occoquan Workhouse (later Lorton Reformatory and Lorton Correctional Complex) in Lorton, Virginia was a jail facility used by the District of Columbia. It was built in 1910. At first, it housed prisoners serving short sentences for offenses like disorderly conduct.

Jul 9, 2020 · The Lorton Reformatory is a prison in Lorton, Virginia that closed in the late 1990s. In May 2018, it reopened as a sprawling complex of apartments called Liberty at Lorton about 19 miles outside of DC.

Mar 23, 2022 · Karim Mowatt doesn’t want its history as a notorious lockup to be forgotten, though, and his new documentary, Lorton: Prison of Terror, uses firsthand accounts of life inside to illustrate its long and often dark history.

The Lorton Reformatory, originally the District of Columbia Workhouse, opened in 1910. It was part of Progressive reformers’ effort to build prisons that focused on rehabilitation. With this goal, there were no walls. The layout and buildings resembled a college campus.

May 30, 2024 · Crooks tapped Mowatt for the exhibit, which was funded in part by ArtsFairfax, after he hosted two sold-out screenings of his documentary Lorton: Prison of Terror at the Workhouse center. The installation appears spare at first.

Sep 25, 2018 · In the 1990s, Lorton, Virginia was zoned mostly for industry, not for housing. With efforts to close Lorton Reformatory underway, Fairfax County took the opportunity to think about what it should do with the old prison.

Jun 16, 2016 · The Lorton Reformatory was a prison built in 1910 by the federal government for the District of Columbia as a Progressive Era experiment. The Lorton never quite looked like a typical prison. The prison originally had no fences or bars, symmetrical dormitory complexes were constructed instead of cellblocks, and no walls or watchtowers surrounded ...

Jul 5, 2018 · For anyone looking for a totally unique -- and undeniably bizarre -- new home, there are new apartments available in a former prison in Virginia. Liberty Crest Apartments can be found on the site of the former Lorton Reformatory, a …