National Museum of Crime & Punishment

The National Museum of Crime & Punishment was built by John Walsh in partnership with John Morgan a businessman in Orlando. The building of the museum cost the two investors approximately $21 million, and was opened in May 2008. The museum unlike any in Washington which are managed by the National Park Services is run by a management mandated by the owners. The museums operations are strictly a business venture whereby return on investment to the owners is offered.

The museum is dedicated to providing the historical developments of criminology in America. National Museum of Crime & Punishment is defined by what it has to offer, which includes:

• Interactive exhibits that make it possible for visitors to try out some activities like placing an individual's head and hands through a pillory.
• Visitors are able to take a lie detector test.
• The museum has over 700 artifacts that are related to crime and the punishments inflicted on the perpetrators of the criminal activities.
• It has a recreation of Al Capone's jail cell.
• It has high speed chase simulators used to train police officers.
• It has spiked chairs that were used to torture criminals in the middle ages.
• A visitor also gets to see some of the weapons that have been used in crime.
• The museum operates a gift shop, known as the Cop Shop.

Essentially the National Museum of Crime & Punishment offers the history of crime and punishment, with accompanying stories of some of the most famous criminals of the past and present.