{"dcterms:modified":"2026-05-19","dcterms:creator":"Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA","@type":"ore:ResourceMap","@id":"https://www.sodha.be/api/datasets/export?exporter=OAI_ORE&persistentId=https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/RB1GT5","ore:describes":{"author":[{"citation:authorName":"Blindeman, Marcel","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Lenaerts, Kristien","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Peeters, Willy","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Toen, Viviane","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Van den Bergh, Willy","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Vandenberghe, John","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Vanvaerenbergh, Jasper","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Buelen, Johan","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"De Corte, Johan","citation:authorAffiliation":"OUTLAW volunteer"},{"citation:authorName":"Vandenberghe, An","citation:authorAffiliation":"State Archives of Belgium","authorIdentifierScheme":"ORCID","authorIdentifier":"0000-0001-5808-7741"}],"citation:datasetContact":{"citation:datasetContactName":"Drossens, Paul","citation:datasetContactAffiliation":"State Archives of Belgium"},"citation:topicClassification":[{"citation:topicClassValue":"Law, crime and legal systems","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"},{"citation:topicClassValue":"Crime and law enforcement","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"},{"citation:topicClassValue":"Legislation and legal systems","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"},{"citation:topicClassValue":"History","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"},{"citation:topicClassValue":"Social stratification and groupings","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"},{"citation:topicClassValue":"Equality, inequality and social exclusion","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"},{"citation:topicClassValue":"Demography","citation:topicClassVocab":"CESSDA Topic Classification","citation:topicClassVocabURI":"https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification"}],"citation:dsDescription":[{"citation:dsDescriptionValue":"This dataset contains data from the moral registers of inmates who served a sentence at Nivelles prison between 1871 and 1924.
\n
\nFrom 1870 onwards, the so-called 'moral accounting' became an established practice in the Belgian prison system. In these registers, prison authorities recorded information on the behaviour, family situation, level of education, offences committed, religion, and physical and mental condition of each convicted prisoner. This information served as the basis for decisions on pardons and early release.
\n
\nThe dataset offers valuable information for a wide range of research purposes. For genealogical research, family members can learn more about ancestors who served a prison sentence. For local history, the dataset provides a unique insight into the social reality of Nivelles and its surroundings at the turn of the twentieth century. Researchers working on crime and punishment will find rich sources for the study of criminal justice practices, prison policy, and the treatment of convicted persons in late nineteenth-century Belgium.
\n
\nThis dataset was produced as part of project OUTLAW (2022–2026), a four-year citizen science project on prison archives. The project is a collaboration between the State Archives in Ghent and Ghent University, with the support of Histories vzw and funding from BELSPO
\n
\nThe results were made possible with the help of dozens of volunteers from the State Archives, Erfgoedcel Dijk92, Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen and Gevangenismuseum Merksplas.","citation:dsDescriptionDate":"2026-05-17"},{"citation:dsDescriptionValue":"

Registres moraux de la prison de Nivelles (1871–1924)


\nCet ensemble de données contient des informations issues des registres moraux des détenus ayant purgé une peine à la prison de Nivelles entre 1871 et 1924.
\n
\nDès 1870, la pratique de la « comptabilité morale » fut systématiquement intégrée dans le système pénitentiaire belge. Dans ces registres, les autorités pénitentiaires consignaient des données relatives au comportement, à la situation familiale, au niveau d'instruction, aux infractions commises, à la religion ainsi qu'à l'état physique et mental de chaque condamné. Ces informations servaient de base aux décisions en matière de grâce et de libération conditionnelle.
\n
\nCet ensembre de données offre des informations précieuses pour des recherches variées. Dans le cadre de la généalogie, il permet aux familles d'en apprendre davantage sur des ancêtres ayant été incarcérés. Pour l'histoire locale et régionale, il offre un aperçu unique de la réalité sociale de Nivelles et de sa région à la fin du XIXe et au début du XXe siècle. Les chercheurs s'intéressant à la criminalité et aux pratiques punitives y trouveront des sources riches pour l'étude des pratiques judiciaires, de la politique pénitentiaire et du traitement des condamnés dans la Belgique de la fin du XIXe siècle.
\n
\nCe jeu de données a été constitué dans le cadre du projet OUTLAW (2022–2026) , un projet de science citoyenne de quatre ans consacré aux archives pénitentiaires. Le projet est le fruit d'une collaboration entre les Archives de l'État à Gand et l'Université de Gand, avec le soutien de Histories asbl et le financement de BELSPO.
\n
\nLes résultats ont été rendus possibles grâce à la contribution de dizaines de bénévoles des Archives de l'État, d'Erfgoedcel Dijk92, d'Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen et du Gevangenismuseum Merksplas.","citation:dsDescriptionDate":"2026-05-17"},{"citation:dsDescriptionValue":"

Morele registers van de gevangenis van Nijvel (1871–1924)


\nDeze dataset bevat gegevens over de 2.998 gedetineerden uit de morele registers van de gevangenis van Nijvel. Deze veroordeelde gedetineerden verbleven in het strafhuis van Nijvel tussen 1871 en 1924.
\n
\nVanaf 1870 deden de zogeheten 'registers van de morele boekhouding' systematisch hun intrede in het Belgische gevangeniswezen. In die registers hielden de gevangenisautoriteiten gegevens bij over het gedrag, de gezinssituatie, het opleidingsniveau, de gepleegde misdrijven, de religie en de fysieke en mentale toestand van elke veroordeelde. Die informatie vormde de basis voor beslissingen over gratie en voorwaardelijke vrijlating.
\n
\nDe dataset biedt waardevolle informatie voor uiteenlopende onderzoeksdoeleinden. Voor stamboomonderzoek kunnen familieleden meer te weten komen over voorouders die een gevangenisstraf uitzaten. Voor lokale geschiedenis biedt de dataset een unieke inkijk in de sociale realiteit van Nijvel en omgeving aan het einde van de negentiende en het begin van de twintigste eeuw. Onderzoekers die zich bezighouden met criminaliteit en bestraffing vinden er rijke bronnen voor de studie van strafrechtelijke praktijken, gevangenisbeleid en de behandeling van veroordeelden in het laat-negentiende-eeuwse België.
\n
\nDeze dataset kwam tot stand in het kader van project OUTLAW (2022–2026), een vierjarig citizen science-project over gevangenisarchieven. Het project is een samenwerking tussen het Rijksarchief Gent en de Universiteit Gent, met ondersteuning van Histories vzw en financiering van BELSPO.
\n
\nDe resultaten werden mede mogelijk gemaakt door de vrijwilligers van het Rijksarchief te Gent, Erfgoedcel Dijk92, Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen en het Gevangenismuseum Merksplas.","citation:dsDescriptionDate":"2026-05-17"}],"dateOfDeposit":"2026-05-17","subject":["Arts and Humanities","Law","Social Sciences"],"language":["Dutch","French"],"title":"OUTLAW - Prison of Nivelles - Dataset of the moral reports of 2.998 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Nivelles, Belgium (1871-1924)","citation:depositor":"Vandenberghe, An","citation:keyword":[{"citation:keywordValue":"Prison"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Prison history"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Prison population"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Criminal justice"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Crime"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Offences"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Punishment"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Incarceration"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Recidivism"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Prison policy"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Moral accounting"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Pardons"},{"citation:keywordValue":"Early release"}],"grantNumber":{"citation:grantNumberAgency":"BELSPO - Federal Science Policy","citation:grantNumberValue":"B2/212/P2/OUTLAW"},"citation:distributor":{"citation:distributorName":"State Archives of Belgium","citation:distributorAffiliation":"State Archives of Belgium","citation:distributorAbbreviation":"ARCH","citation:distributorURL":"https://www.arch.be/"},"contributor":[{"citation:contributorType":"Project Leader","citation:contributorName":"Drossens, Paul"},{"citation:contributorType":"Project Manager","citation:contributorName":"Vandenberghe, An"},{"citation:contributorType":"Editor","citation:contributorName":"Vandenberghe, An"},{"citation:contributorType":"Data Curator","citation:contributorName":"Buelen, Johan"},{"citation:contributorType":"Data Curator","citation:contributorName":"De Corte Johan"}],"citation:series":{"citation:seriesName":"OUTLAW – Moral Reports on Convicted Prisoners in Belgian Prisons, 1850–1924","citation:seriesInformation":"This series contains 24 datasets produced as part of OUTLAW (2022–2026), a four-year citizen science project on prison archives. The project is a collaboration between the State Archives in Ghent and Ghent University, supported by Histories vzw and funded by BELSPO. The results were made possible with the help of dozens of volunteers from the State Archives, Erfgoedcel Dijk92, Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen, and Gevangenismuseum Merksplas."},"publication":[{"publicationCitation":"DATASET - \"OUTLAW – Complete dataset of all moral reports of 122.225 convicted prisoners held in the Belgian prison system, 1850-1924\", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/PTTRNQ, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.","publicationIDType":"doi","publicationIDNumber":"https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/PTTRNQ","publicationURL":"https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/PTTRNQ"},{"publicationCitation":"INVENTAIRE - Les archives de la prison de Nivelles sont conservées aux Archives de l'État à Louvain-la-Neuve. L'inventaire n'est pas encore disponible en ligne dans AGATHA, mais vous pouvez d'ores et déjà consulter ces archives en prenant contact avec les Archives de l'État à Louvain-la-Neuve (archives.louvain-la-neuve@arch.be).","publicationIDNumber":"Code provisoire de l'inventaire : K600"},{"publicationCitation":"INVENTORY - The archives of Nivelles Prison are held at the State Archives in Louvain-la-Neuve. The inventory is not yet available online in AGATHA, but you are welcome to consult the archives by contacting the State Archives in Louvain-la-Neuve (archives.louvain-la-neuve@arch.be).","publicationIDNumber":"Provisional inventory code: K600"}],"geospatial:geographicCoverage":[{"geospatial:country":"Belgium","geospatial:state":"Walloon Brabant","geospatial:city":"Nivelles"},{"geospatial:country":"Belgium","geospatial:state":"Brabant wallon","geospatial:city":"Nivelles"},{"geospatial:country":"Belgium","geospatial:state":"Waals-Brabant","geospatial:city":"Nijvel"}],"citation:producer":[{"citation:producerName":"State Archives of Belgium","citation:producerAffiliation":"State Archives of Belgium","citation:producerAbbreviation":"ARCH","citation:producerURL":"https://www.arch.be/"},{"citation:producerName":"BELSPO - Federal Science Policy","citation:producerAffiliation":"BELSPO - Federal Science Policy","citation:producerAbbreviation":"BELSPO","citation:producerURL":"https://www.belspo.be/"}],"timePeriodCovered":{"citation:timePeriodCoveredStart":"1871","citation:timePeriodCoveredEnd":"1924"},"software":{"citation:softwareName":"Excel"},"citation:dateOfCollection":{"citation:dateOfCollectionStart":"2022","citation:dateOfCollectionEnd":"2025"},"socialscience:dataCollector":"State Archives in Ghent (State Archives of Belgium)","citation:subtitle":"Registres de la comptabilité morale de la prison de Nivelles - Registers van de morele boekhouding van de gevangenis van Nijvel - Registers of the moral accounting of Nivelles prison","geospatial:geographicUnit":["Belgium","Belgique","België","Walloon Brabant","Brabant wallon","Waals-Brabant","Nivelles","Nijvel"],"kindOfData":["Archives","Administrative records","Prison registers","Moral registers"],"dataSources":"Archives of Nivelles prison. The inventory is not yet available online in AGATHA, but you are welcome to consult the archives by contacting the State Archives in Louvain-la-Neuve (archives.louvain-la-neuve@arch.be).","socialscience:NumberOfVariables":"27","citation:originOfSources":"State Archives in Louvain-la-Neuve, Archives of Nivelles prison, Moral registres, Provisional inventory code: 542 / K600 / n° CM001-CM022.","socialscience:unitOfAnalysis":"Individuals","socialscience:universe":"Convicted prisoners","socialscience:collectionMode":"Citizen science","relatedDatasets":"\"OUTLAW – Complete dataset of all moral reports of 122.225 convicted prisoners held in the Belgian prison system, 1850-1924\", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/PTTRNQ, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.","citation:productionPlace":"Belgium","@id":"https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/RB1GT5","@type":["ore:Aggregation","schema:Dataset"],"schema:version":"1.0","schema:name":"OUTLAW - Prison of Nivelles - Dataset of the moral reports of 2.998 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Nivelles, Belgium (1871-1924)","schema:dateModified":"2026-05-19 09:17:35.087","schema:datePublished":"2026-05-19","dvcore:termsOfUse":"\"Creative
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY).","dvcore:fileTermsOfAccess":{"dvcore:fileRequestAccess":false},"schema:includedInDataCatalog":"Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA","schema:isPartOf":{"schema:name":"Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA","@id":"https://www.sodha.be/dataverse/sodha","schema:description":"
Welcome to SODHA, the Belgian federal data archive for social sciences and the digital humanities!

\n\n\nHere you can find and deposit social science and digital humanities data in reusable form. Published datasets receive a DOI, making them citable like other types of publications. SODHA promotes open data by enabling reuse of research data and by safely preserving datasets in the long term.

\n\nSODHA is the Belgian service provider in the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) and is hosted by the State Archives of Belgium. SODHA was built with the help of DEMO (UCLouvain) and Interface Demography (VUB).

\n\nYou can consult the SODHA Guide here, and you can read our policies here.

\n\nWant to learn more about SODHA? Consult our brochure or our presentation on the State Archives' website.

\n\nIf you have any question, you can contact us at sodha@arch.be."},"ore:aggregates":[{"schema:description":"OUTLAW Dataset van de morele verslagen van veroordeelde gedetineerden opgesloten in de gevangenis van Nijvel – België (1871-1924) (Metadata in Dutch)","schema:name":"Dataset_OUTLAW_gevangenis_Nijvel_NL.xlsx","dvcore:restricted":false,"schema:version":3,"dvcore:datasetVersionId":745,"@id":"https://www.sodha.be/file.xhtml?fileId=6984","schema:sameAs":"https://www.sodha.be/api/access/datafile/6984?format=original","@type":"ore:AggregatedResource","schema:fileFormat":"application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet","dvcore:filesize":905185,"dvcore:storageIdentifier":"file://19e3cb9374d-88798d8ed9bb","dvcore:currentIngestedName":"Dataset_OUTLAW_gevangenis_Nijvel_NL.tab","dvcore:UNF":"UNF:6:ec7O2np9GXwM5YrVF4oC7w==","dvcore:rootDataFileId":-1,"dvcore:checksum":{"@type":"MD5","@value":"d5aaf8e86249b92c48b3933517126eb8"}},{"schema:description":"OUTLAW Dataset des comptes-rendus moraux des détenus condamnés de la prison de Nivelles – Belgique (1871-1924) (Metadata in French)","schema:name":"Dataset_OUTLAW_prison_Nivelles_FR.xlsx","dvcore:restricted":false,"schema:version":3,"dvcore:datasetVersionId":745,"@id":"https://www.sodha.be/file.xhtml?fileId=6985","schema:sameAs":"https://www.sodha.be/api/access/datafile/6985?format=original","@type":"ore:AggregatedResource","schema:fileFormat":"application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet","dvcore:filesize":905497,"dvcore:storageIdentifier":"file://19e3cba8f82-d3671ff5422e","dvcore:currentIngestedName":"Dataset_OUTLAW_prison_Nivelles_FR.tab","dvcore:UNF":"UNF:6:vBIdJ8ZrzvDpRl1fO0q7nA==","dvcore:rootDataFileId":-1,"dvcore:checksum":{"@type":"MD5","@value":"dfbe2e6ec8d93be6035531652756ac79"}}],"schema:hasPart":["https://www.sodha.be/file.xhtml?fileId=6984","https://www.sodha.be/file.xhtml?fileId=6985"]},"@context":{"author":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/creator","authorIdentifier":"http://purl.org/spar/datacite/AgentIdentifier","authorIdentifierScheme":"http://purl.org/spar/datacite/AgentIdentifierScheme","citation":"https://dataverse.org/schema/citation/","contributor":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/contributor","dataSources":"https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-o/#wasDerivedFrom","dateOfDeposit":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/dateSubmitted","dcterms":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/","dvcore":"https://dataverse.org/schema/core#","geospatial":"https://www.sodha.be/schema/geospatial#","grantNumber":"https://schema.org/sponsor","kindOfData":"http://rdf-vocabulary.ddialliance.org/discovery#kindOfData","language":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/language","ore":"http://www.openarchives.org/ore/terms/","publication":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/isReferencedBy","publicationCitation":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/bibliographicCitation","publicationIDNumber":"http://purl.org/spar/datacite/ResourceIdentifier","publicationIDType":"http://purl.org/spar/datacite/ResourceIdentifierScheme","publicationURL":"https://schema.org/distribution","relatedDatasets":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/relation","schema":"http://schema.org/","socialscience":"https://www.sodha.be/schema/socialscience#","software":"https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-o/#wasGeneratedBy","subject":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/subject","timePeriodCovered":"https://schema.org/temporalCoverage","title":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/title"}}