Law-abiding citizens will be able to get a close-up look at a gallows and experience life behind bars when a prison museum in Stanley is opened to the public today. Converted from former married officers' quarters, the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum boasts nine galleries, a mock gallows and two mock cells. It also houses 600 exhibits including historical documents and photographs. It is situated in a two-storey building next to the parade ground of the Correctional Services Staff Training Institute in Tung Tau Wan Road. The museum was previously housed inside the institute and used to train staff on the development of jail facilities and the penal system in Hong Kong. Now it is being opened to the public for the first time. A department spokesman said the project had three aims. 'The opening of the new museum can provide a channel for our department to communicate with citizens and let them understand more about us,' he said. 'Secondly, the museum could provide citizens and our staff with information about our department's history and services. Also, the museum could attract both local and overseas tourists.' The museum complex consists of three components: the museum proper, an annex and the community education centre. 'We are continuously widening our horizons and aim to provide services that are recognised internationally for excellence,' the spokesman added. The museum will be open to the public free of charge, starting today, after an inauguration ceremony.