Prisões e o trabalho forçado no brasil na segunda metade do século XIX

Abstract

This article discusses the state of the prisons in the Empire of Brazil in the second half of the nineteenth century, based on the example of Recife Detention Center, established in Pernambuco state capital in the 1850s. By analyzing documents both from the Ministry of Justice and from the state of Pernambuco itself, the text discusses both the material conditions of the institutions as well as the use of punishment, such as labor, which was believed to rehabilitate the criminals, promoting their future return to society as disciplined and civilized individuals. An analysis is also performed on concepts of crime and punishment that mapped the debate surrounding the subject in Brazil, as well as abroad (such as in the International Penitentiary Congresses).