NCJ Number
135998
Journal
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume: 81 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1990) Pages: 567-584
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
By studying records related to an old prison called Le Stinche, this paper presents an empirical evaluation of the origins and development of the cultural values which underlie the social reaction to crime in Renaissance Florence.
Abstract
The main source of data was the 500 volumes of archival records that relate directly to the prison. Other source materials included records contemporary to the time, confidential reports, public reports, governmental documents, and fiction and folk literature. The cultural setting of Renaissance Florence is outlined briefly emphasizing the political structure, guild organization, and artistic advancement of the period. The idea of imprisonment as punishment per se and without corporal punishment was created and cultivated within the cultural context of Renaissance Florence. During the 14th and 15th centuries in Florence, crimes were defined by and punishment came to be mitigated by substitution of deprivation of liberty alone. The records have provided the historical sociologist with details regarding definite periods of imprisonment, the use of deterrence, and even of rehabilitation as a rationale for punishment. Central to understanding the Florentine innovation of imprisonment as a sanction is the relationship between time, money, and punishment. Further research is needed to determine whether these generalizations can be protected to any other time or location. 55 notes