How They Did It - Prisons in Ancient Rome DOCUMENTARY

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What was it like to go to prison in ancient Rome? In this history documentary we begin with an overview of how prisons were present since the earliest civilizations but did not function the same as today. Justice did not involve locking people up. Rather, justice was built around the idea of vengeance and the philosophy of "an eye for an eye". In this context, prisons served merely as temporary holding cells while people awaited trial or their punishment.

In ancient Rome we see this with the Mamertine prison which was built during the early monarchy. Consisting of a small dungeon, it never saw widespread use and was instead reserved for mostly high profile figures like war captives. Notable prisoners include Vercingetorix, Simon Gioras, and the Catiline Conspirators. During the late Republic however the demand for prisons increased as reforms to the criminal justice system meant more people were going to court. More public prisons were built as well as growing trend in private prisons. During the transition to the Roman Empire however the consolidation of power prompted a crackdown against private prisons and shifting the focus back to public prisons. These would continue to see use a temporary holdings cells but now also housed enemies of Rome. For the most part however, corporal punishment still remained the norm. This trend would continue through the medieval era and its only with the age of Enlightenment that we start to see justice systems shift to mass incarceration as the preferred vessel for justice.

Bibliography and suggested readings:
The Oxford History of the Prison
Penal Practice and Penal Policy in Ancient Rome
Crime and Punishment in Ancient Rome
Prison, Punishment, and Penance in Late Antiquity
The Cambridge Companion to Roman Law

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