|
Prisons reached their present status after centuries of evolution, during which they were under different systems that tended to depict them as dark and horrible places where outlaws are kept. “The Darkness of prisons” is a term that was frequently used in history books to describe the prevailing atmosphere in prisons, indicating the injustice and torture practiced therein; and this was the case in all countries alike.
|
Linguistically, prison means a place of detention and the two terms are used as description of the place where the penalty of imprisonment is enforced. Surveying the history of prisons in Egypt, we should refer to the fact that Egypt is considered one of the first countries that implemented “prisons system” according to its present concept. The best indication for that is evident in the verses of “Surah Youssef” of the “Holy Qura’n”: “O my Lord! The prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me” (12.33). This proves that Egypt implemented the prison systems since the pharos’ ages.
|
Regarding the history of prisons in Islam, it is mentioned that there were no prisons at the time of Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) or in his Caliph “Abu Bakr”’s age. But in certain urgent cases, persons who ought to be detained were watched by guards or handed over to the “rights’ holders” to keep them in custody. When the Islamic State expanded in the age of Omar Ibn Elkhattab, he bought the house of “Safwan Bin Bany Ommaya” for some four thousand Dirhams and used that house as a prison. Prisons in the ages of the later Caliphs were characterized by roughness as there were neither beds nor covers; and nobody was allowed to have access to the prisoner
|
In the Abbasid Age (750); particularly in the Age of Harun El-Rashid, Judge\ Abu Youssef undertook the Judiciary Affairs and established a well- organized system for prisons to achieve justice and apply humanitarian principles to save prisoners’ humanity.
|
In the “Mamlouk” time, castles towers were used as prisons for a special category of people, i.e. princes. Beside such towers, there was a well called “El Jobb Prison” that was used as a prison where some ill-treated princes were imprisoned. Governance at that time was characterized with cruelty that was mixed with chaos. This led to the weakness of the rule of law and justice. It was not much different in the Ottoman era, where castles were used as prisons. At the time of the French Occupation, castles were also used as main prisons where princes were imprisoned and when ‘Bonaparte’ resided at the house of Mohamed Bek El Alfy in Azbakeya, the Azbakeya Garden was used as a jail where prisoners were also killed.
|