The Urban Narrative of Prisons in the Russian Empire: The History of One Finnish Prison

• In Event: Social Parallels in the History of Russia, the USSR, and East Europe

Abstract

The Russian Empire shared in the prison reform movement that swept Europe in the late 19th century, but there were large differences in how far reform was incorporated into penal practice in different parts of the Empire. The modernization of criminal punishment and penal culture in Russia to bring it in line with the latest penitentiary theories is, above all, associated with the liberal reforms of Alexander II.
The reform initiated a wave of construction of new prisons and modification of old prison buildings. Russia appeared in its own eyes as an enlightened state, and broadly, its neighbours shared this view.
In this article, I use the example of the Grand Duchy of Finland, to argue that notwithstanding pan-Russian state building and Russification in the decades after the assassination of Alexander II, the development of culturally and historically shaped penal cultures characterized the peripheries of the Empire. In the case of the Grand Duchy, the building blocks of Finland’s penal exceptionalism can be traced back to its Swedish and Imperial Russian roots. This study explores the intersection of the history of penology and prison architecture, shedding light on the development of legal culture and the marginalized urban narrative. Furthermore, my research has the potential to illuminate overlooked aspects of Finnish and Russian history, providing insights into the interconnectedness of imperial systems and the experiences of marginalized groups within them.

Author

• Larisa Kangaspuro, U of Helsinki (Finland)