1872 London Congress and the Nineteenth Century Prison Reform Movement: An Inquiry into the Discourse of Punishment

Year 2017, Volume: 16 Issue: 4, 1148 - 1159, 07.11.2017

Sinan Tankut Gülhan

https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.346044

Abstract

This paper
is an attempt in understanding the first penal conference in world history. The
meeting took place in 1872 in England, the Congress of London was a
groundbreaking meeting of professionals, state officials, reformers of the
penitentiary system, and interested philanthropists. The Congress was the
culmination of a century’s efforts instigated by John Howard in the late
eighteenth century. The meeting would prove to be the first of a long series of
professionalized conferences on the practices of punishment. There were
attempts in gathering the professionals of the penal system before, that is for
sure, however, in convening and legitimizing both the state authority and the
philanthropy of the upper classes it was an insightful examination and a
critique of the state penitentiary system hitherto existed.

Keywords

sociology of crime and punishment, nineteenth century social reform movement, 1872 London Prison Congress, history of punishment

1872 London Congress and the Nineteenth Century Prison Reform Movement: An Inquiry into the Discourse of Punishment

Abstract

Bu makale dünya tarihinin ilk cezaevi konferansını tarihsel
ve düşünsel açıdan kavramayı amaçlar. 1872’de İngiltere’de toplanan Londra
Cezaevi Kongresi, uzmanlar, bürokratlar, ceza reformu üzerine çalışan farklı
alanlarda hayırseverlerin katılımıyla sosyolojik ve tarihsel bir dönüm
noktasını temsil eder. Londra Kongresi, Onsekizinci yüzyılda John Howard
tarafından başlatılan ceza reformlarının bir meyvesidir ve müteakip
konferansların da ilki olacaktır. Bu makale açısından önemi, ceza reformlarının Ondokuzuncu yüzyılın son otuz yılında vardığı noktayı, bu noktanın ne raddede
beynelmilel bir karakter taşıdığını, modern devletin inşası açısından taşıdığı
belirleyici rolü ve bununla beraber zenginlerin ve ayrıcalıklı kesimlerin
hayırseverliğiyle devletin cezalandırma mekanizmalarının kesiştiği toplumsal
olarak Yirminci ve Yirmibirinci yüzyılların kriminolojik ve ceza
yaklaşımlarının kurucu paradigmasını teşkil etmesindedir.

Keywords

suç ve ceza sosyolojisi, Ondokuzuncu yüzyıl toplumsal reform hareketleri, 1872 Londra Cezaevleri Kongresi, cezalandırma tarihi

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