Locked Up! Trivia Quiz

Answer: White Tower

The White Tower is part of the Tower of London complex on the banks of the River Thames in London. Built in the 11th Century by William the Conqueror, the White Tower is the oldest part of the Tower of London, and occupies a central position. In 1674, a wooden box containing two children's skeletons was found in the White Tower.

They were thought to be the remains of the two sons of Edward IV, placed under the protection of Richard, Duke of Gloucester. When the two boys mysteriously disappeared, Richard took the throne and became Richard III.

Answer: Robben Island

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Robben Island is located just off the coast of South Africa, some 14 km from Cape Town. It is best remembered as the prison that held Nelson Mandela for 18 of the 27 years that he was imprisoned during the apartheid period. In addition to Mandela, Robben Island also held future presidents Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma.

Answer: Hoa Lo

Founded in the late 19th Century, Hoa Lo Prison was initially used by the French settlers to hold Vietnamese political prisoners. However, it is best known as the 'Hanoi Hilton', in which American prisoners of war were held by the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War. Notable inmates include Senator John McCain and 1992 Vice Presidential candidate James Stockdale.

The name Hoa Lo can be translated to either mean 'fiery furnace' or 'stove', neither of which are particularly attractive options!

Answer: Port Arthur

While Australia itself was established as a penal colony by Britain, Port Arthur was the 'penal colony of penal colonies', meaning that the inmates were those that had re-offended after having arrived in Australia. The prison was closed in 1877, and became a tourist site by the end of the 19th Century.

In 1996, Port Arthur was the sight of a horrific massacre, in which Tasmanian Martin Bryant shot 35 people dead and wounded 23 others. The attack led to a dramatic tightening of gun control in Australia under Prime Minister John Howard.

Answer: House of Slaves

Originally built in 1776, the House of Slaves was the final stopping point for many African slaves before the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Now reconstructed as a museum, the site sees hundreds of thousands of visits each year. Gorée Island, on which the prison was located, is mentioned in Alex Haley's novel 'Roots: The Saga of an American Family'.

Answer: Carandiru

Carandiru Penitentiary first opened in 1920 and was continuously operational until its closure in 2002. At its peak it held over 8,000 inmates and was the largest prison by population in South America. It was the site of the 1992 Carandiru massacre, in which military police stormed the prison during a riot, killing over 100 inmates.

The massacre is considered a major human rights violation, and the commanding officer was initially sentenced to 632 years in jail. In February 2006 his sentence was revoked, but in September 2006 he was assassinated in his apartment in São Paulo.

Answer: Alcatraz

Perhaps the most famous prison in the world, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, in San Francisco Bay, was open for less than 30 years between 1934 and 1963. The prison was considered the United States' most secure, given the high levels of security and the fact that it was surrounded by water.

It housed some of America's most notorious criminals, including Al Capone, Mickey Cohen and Robert Stroud (a.k.a. the Birdman of Alcatraz).

Answer: Tuol Sleng

Tuol Sleng, also known as Security Prison 21, or S-21, was one of the primary prisons and execution centres of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Holding around 1,000 prisoners at a time, Tuol Sleng was used for four years between 1975 and 1979. It is thought that around 20,000 people passed through the prison in total, with very few of them leaving alive.

The site is now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, reminding people of the horrific actions of the Khmer Rouge.

Answer: Drapchi

Drapchi prison is one of the few featured in this quiz that still remains operational. The largest prison in Tibet, Drapchi holds around 1,000 inmates, of which circa 600 are thought to be political prisoners, many of which are monks and nuns. Though not purpose-built as a prison, Drapchi was converted in the early 1960s after the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

Answer: Rikers Island

Established in 1932, Rikers Island is the main jail complex serving New York City. One of the largest prisons in the world, the average number of inmates is around 10,000 people, with a similar number of staff required to run the site. Famous inmates of Rikers Island include 'Son of Sam' killer David Berkowitz, rapper Lil Wayne, and John Lennon's assassin Mark David Chapman. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in 2017 that he would like to close Rikers Island within 10 years.