The nation behind bars. The penitentiary and prison regime in 19th Century Colombia: the case of Bolivar’s Sovereign State.

Abstract

This article analyses the history of the prison system in Colombia in the 19th century, the cultural and political context in which the prison reform of the mid-19th century was carried out, and the impact this reform had on the later development of the prison system in Colombia. The article also focuses on the period of federal radicalism, especially in respect of the prison and penitentiary situation in Bolivar’s Sovereign State. The article describes the different circumstances that the prison system faced in the diverse provinces of the State, life conditions in the prisons, the situation of prisoners, educational and productive strategies implemented within the prisons, the financial crisis and its effects on insecurity and overcrowding. The financial measures devised to address the crisis are also analyzed, as are the local administrative strategies designed as control mechanisms and for regulating prison life, which aimed at correcting the poor functioning of these institutions and the negative impact this had on society as a whole.