Idea #301 – Visit the historic old jail Saint Denis in Reunion
The prison of Saint-Denis wasfounded in 1718, and occupies the space to the angle of streets Juliette Dodu and Labourdonnais in Saint Denis, in a district where mixed the courts, the Clerk’s Office, the house of police as well as the civil prison. The prison got bigger over time, partially reconstructed in the end of the XVIIIth century, then in 1829, with the construction of the “project Dumas”, consisting of a building inside the court, provided with a single ground floor. In 1836, a new building of 33 m on 6 m of wide, with 60 cm thick walls, along the current street Juliette Dodu. In year 1845, a new building intended for the slaves which will be parallel to that of the street Labourdonnais is built…. The modifications continue so until the XXth century.
The prisoners were maintained “free” in the inner courtyard during the whole day, to answer at best the exiguity of the internal spaces conjugated to the chronic overpopulation of the establishment. The establishment was divided into three districts: the district of the accused (awaiting trial or of a decision appeal)), the penalty district (reserved domain only to the condemned persons according to the law) and that of the women. The cells of the disciplinary districts and the isolation were in the oldest part of the detention center, on the first floor; it was very hot there and the twilight was appropriate there. The prison was designed for 96 people, while it counted regularly more than 250… The prison was definitively closed down in 2008.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Prison Juliette Dodu, Saint-Denis, Reunion Island, France
