On the Origins of Limited Term Sentences of Incarceration
Matthew Larsen (University of Copenhagen)
Info about event
Time
Friday 1 April 2022,
at 15:01 - 16:00
Location
Antikmuseet
Organizer
Klassiske Studier og forskningsprogrammet "Classical Antiquity and its Heritage" and "Centre for the Study of Antiquity and Christianity (C-SAC)"
The prison is imagined as a modern invention, with the core of the modern prison being a limited term sentence of incarceration (e.g. a five year prison sentence). Yet even this aspect of the history of incarceration has a much longer history. In this talk, I trace the origins of the limited term sentence back to Mediterranean antiquity, with special reference to the emerging history of Christianity, to show that the practice of sentencing a convict to a specific amount of time in prison was not uncommon and was tied to emerging Christian discourse on punishment.
Download poster