This article seeks to promote a theoretical reflection on the prison heritage. Thereby, it is our intention to analyze critically the realities that surround the preservation and protection of this type of heritage and the possible new uses for the prison heritage in the city of Juiz de Fora [State of Minas Gerais, Brazil]. The methodological procedures were based on the analysis of academic production on this theme. Libraries and historical collections of the city were consulted, as well as Internet pages that contained relevant news and information about prison heritage. The analysis of the material shows that some buildings in the municipality were demolished, seeking to highlight the importance of public prison memory and the disregard that the prison heritage suffers in the contemporary context.