Abstract
This article aims to analyze the production of a humanitarian narrative about prisons as a source of human ills/miseries throughout the imperial period (1825-1889), by studying discourses produced by ministers of Justice (1825-1855), provincial presidents (1855-1889), municipal/ provincial commissions, as well as chronicles and journalistic complaints (1885-1886). Such texts do not constitute mere reflections of social reality, nor do they simply result from political struggles. They also functioned as engines and amplifiers of feelings of empathy and commiseration that could foster decisions favoring reforms or improvements (be they palliative measures or not) of life behind bars. It is important to specify, regarding the provincial reports, that work will be carried out on Rio Grande do Sul officers, as well as other sources about prison situation in Porto Alegre. Tus, three levels will be considered: the national, regional, and local ones. The main argument is that such reports in favor of humanity and civilization–in which value judgments, appreciations, gestures of pity, and feelings of benevolence were expressed – ended up feeding a “policy of piety” indispensable for the (non-linear) advancement of the “flow of penal sensitivities”.
Keywords:
Humanitarian narrative; history of prisons; incarcerated bodies