Jeremy Bentham et la réforme des prisons au Brésil : l’expérience de la Maison de Correction de la Cour

Abstract

This article discusses the reform of prisons in Rio de Janeiro, home of the imperial court in Brazil in the nineteenth century. The House of Correction, the House of Detention and the Institute for Young Workers were built and then occupied the same institutional space. There slaves, former slaves and poor free men lived together, all belonging to the dangerous classes that inspired and spread fear in the city. However, before the realization of this construction, much had been discussed in terms of the models and projects that could address the problem of criminality. This paper aims to discuss the identification process in the context of urban reform, where the production of information has a crucial role, as well as the ideas of Jeremy Bentham which certainly encouraged the debate on the prisons.