Historical Background for Medieval Prisons
Prison sentences are pretty ubiquitous on Earth in the 21st century. Different nations and cultures have different standards for determining guilt or innocence and they have different standards for what is or is not acceptable prison, but the idea that a criminal should be locked up in a prison for a set period of time based on the nature of his or her offense is pretty common. This was not always the case, historically. In medieval Europe and many other preindustrial societies on Earth, it was uncommon for criminals to serve lengthy prison stays as a punishment. This generality applies to Scarterra as well for the same primary reason. The reason being is because of the medieval notion that waste is taboo. A person imprisoned is a person who is not part of the labor force. Even if he is in a small and dingy rat infested dungeon cell, a prisoner is still going to need food, water, clothes and shelter, and this costs resources. Sturdy prison cells take up space and sturdy locks like most goods in Scarterra are made by hand. Locksmiths usually charge high prices for their services. Prisons guards to patrol the cell blocks, serve the prisoner's meals and empty the prisoner's chamber pots. Most prison guards are soldiers, and a soldier that is guarding prison cells is a soldier that is not patrolling your borders, keeping the peace, or engaging in training exercises...as waste of resources.Philosophies of Rehabilitation
A criminal that is locked up is not contributing the society. A punishment needs to be inflicted that allows the criminal to rejoin society as a productive member as quickly as possible. Or if not, the criminal needs to be removed from society.Common punishments include having a fine imposed or property seized, often using some variant of the "Three Pig Rule". Or maybe some kind of public shaming, at least in theory with a level of shaming proportional to the offense. Public shaming is often intended to be thematically linked to the crime committed. If an ale or winemaker is convicted of selling substandard goods, they are often locked in a stockade and have their substandard beverages poured over their head while the crowd jeers.
If the criminal in question is deemed as being unsalvageable, than the criminal will be almost certainly be banished or executed. Banishment is of course backed with the threat of "come back and we kill you".
Executions and banishments may be done publicly to make an example out of the criminals, or they may be done quietly outside view of the public to quietly to avoid a scandal. Either way, the offending member of society is removed from it, one way or the other.
When are people actually imprisoned?
Scarterra doesn't have zero prison cells. They have several prisons. It's just that most of these prisons tend to be fairly small. Many market places and guild halls have at least one small jail cell, maybe a couple of cells. These serve the equivalent of a modern drunk tank. If someone is being drunk and disorderly, they can sleep a night in the cell and then be released the next day. Basically it is a "time out" for adults. Maybe they receive a small fine or a bit of public shaming when they are released, maybe not. Military encampments might have a small brig for the same disciplinary purpose.
TOA0078 by National Maritime Museum of Greenwich
Comments