Italian Prisons in the Age of Positivism 1861-1914

During a period dominated by the biological determinism of Cesare Lombroso Italy constructed a new prison system that sought to reconcile criminology with nation building and new definitions of citizenship. <i>Italian Prisons in the Age of Positivism 1861-1914</i> examines this second wave of global prison reform between Italian Unification and World War I providing fascinating insights into the relationship between changing modes of punishment and the development of the modern Italian state.<br/><br/>Mary Gibson focuses on the correlation between the birth of the prison and the establishment of a liberal government showing how rehabilitation through work in humanitarian conditions played a key role in the development of a new secular national identity. She also highlights the importance of age and gender for constructing a nuanced chronology of the birth of the prison demonstrating that whilst imprisonment emerged first as a punishment for women and children they were often denied negative rights such as equality in penal law and the right to a secular form of punishment. Employing a wealth of hitherto neglected primary sources such as yearly prison statistics this cutting-edge study also provides glimpses into the everyday life of inmates in both the new capital of Rome and the nation as a whole.<br/><br/><i>Italian Prisons in the Age of Positivism 1861-1914</i> is a vital study for understanding the birth of the prison in modern Italy and beyond.