OUTLAW - Prison of Bruges - Dataset of the moral reports of 7.722 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Bruges, Belgium (1876-1925) (doi:10.34934/DVN/YMF9ML)

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OUTLAW - Prison of Bruges - Dataset of the moral reports of 7.722 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Bruges, Belgium (1876-1925)

doi:10.34934/DVN/YMF9ML

Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA

2026-05-18

1

Blindeman, Marcel; Vandenberghe, John; Vandenberghe, Wim; Vincke, Eva; Buelen, Johan; Vandenberghe, An, 2026, "OUTLAW - Prison of Bruges - Dataset of the moral reports of 7.722 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Bruges, Belgium (1876-1925)", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/YMF9ML, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, V1

OUTLAW - Prison of Bruges - Dataset of the moral reports of 7.722 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Bruges, Belgium (1876-1925)

Registers van de morele boekhouding van de gevangenis van Brugge - Registres de la comptabilité morale de la prison de Bruges - Registers of the moral accounting of Bruges prison

doi:10.34934/DVN/YMF9ML

Blindeman, Marcel (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vandenberghe, John (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vandenberghe, Wim (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vincke, Eva (OUTLAW volunteer)

Buelen, Johan (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vandenberghe, An (State Archives of Belgium)

Drossens, Paul

Vandenberghe, An

Vandenberghe, An

Buelen, Johan

BELSPO - Federal Science Policy

State Archives of Belgium

Excel

B2/212/P2/OUTLAW

Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA

State Archives of Belgium

Drossens, Paul

Vandenberghe, An

2026-05-12

OUTLAW – Moral Reports on Convicted Prisoners in Belgian Prisons, 1850–1924

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.

https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/YMF9ML

Arts and Humanities, Law, Social Sciences, Prison, Prison history, Prison population, Criminal justice, Crime, Offences, Punishment, Incarceration, Recidivism, Prison policy, Moral accounting, Pardons, Early release

Law, crime and legal systems, Crime and law enforcement, Legislation and legal systems, History, Social stratification and groupings, Equality, inequality and social exclusion, Demography

<strong>This dataset contains data from the moral registers of inmates who served a sentence at Bruges prison between 1876 and 1925</strong>.<br> <br> From 1870 onwards, so-called <em>'moral accounting'</em> 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.<br> <br> The dataset offers valuable information for a wide range of research purposes. For <strong>genealogical research</strong>, family members can learn more about ancestors who served a prison sentence. For <strong>local history</strong>, the dataset provides a unique insight into the social reality of Bruges and its surroundings at the turn of the twentieth century. Researchers working on <strong>crime and punishment</strong> will find rich sources for the study of criminal justice practices, prison policy, and the treatment of convicted persons in late nineteenth-century Belgium.<br> <br> This dataset was produced as part of project <strong>OUTLAW (2022–2026)</strong>, a four-year <em>citizen science</em> project on prison archives. The project is a collaboration between the <strong>State Archives in Ghent</strong> and <strong>Ghent University</strong>, with the support of <strong>Histories vzw<abbr title="non-profit organisation">vzw</abbr></strong> and funding from <strong><abbr title="Federal Science Policy">BELSPO</abbr></strong>.<br> <br> The results were made possible with the help of dozens of volunteers from the State Archives, Erfgoedcel Dijk92, Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen and Gevangenismuseum Merksplas.

<h3>Morele registers van de gevangenis van Brugge (1876–1925)</h3><br> <strong>Deze dataset bevat gegevens uit de morele registers van gedetineerden die tussen 1876 en 1925 een straf uitzaten in de gevangenis van Brugge</strong>.<br> <br> Vanaf 1870 deden de zogeheten <em>'registers van de morele boekhouding'</em> 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.<br> <br> De dataset biedt waardevolle informatie voor uiteenlopende onderzoeksdoeleinden. Voor <strong>stamboomonderzoek</strong> kunnen familieleden meer te weten komen over voorouders die een gevangenisstraf uitzaten. Voor <strong>lokale geschiedenis</strong> biedt de dataset een unieke inkijk in de sociale realiteit van Brugge en omgeving aan het einde van de negentiende en het begin van de twintigste eeuw. Onderzoekers die zich bezighouden met <strong>criminaliteit en bestraffing</strong> vinden er rijke bronnen voor de studie van strafrechtelijke praktijken, gevangenisbeleid en de behandeling van veroordeelden in het laat-negentiende-eeuwse België.<br> <br> Deze dataset is tot stand gekomen in het kader van project <strong>OUTLAW (2022–2026)</strong>, een vierjarig <em>citizen science</em>-project over gevangenisarchieven. Het project is een samenwerking tussen het <strong>Rijksarchief Gent</strong> en de <strong>Universiteit Gent</strong>, met ondersteuning van <strong>Histories <abbr title="vereniging zonder winstoogmerk">vzw</abbr></strong> en financiering van <strong><abbr title="Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid">BELSPO</abbr></strong>.<br> <br> De resultaten werden mede mogelijk gemaakt door tientallen vrijwilligers van het Rijksarchief, Erfgoedcel Dijk92, Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen en Gevangenismuseum Merksplas.

<h3>Registres moraux de la prison de Bruges (1876–1925)</h3><br> <strong>Cet ensemble de données contient des informations issues des registres moraux des détenus ayant purgé une peine à la prison de Bruges entre 1876 et 1925</strong>.<br> <br> Dès 1870, la pratique de la <em>« comptabilité morale »</em> 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.<br> <br> Ce jeu de données offre des informations précieuses pour des recherches variées. Dans le cadre de la <strong>généalogie</strong>, il permet aux familles d'en apprendre davantage sur des ancêtres ayant été incarcérés. Pour l'<strong>histoire locale</strong>, il offre un aperçu unique de la réalité sociale de Bruges et de sa région à la fin du <abbr title="dix-neuvième">XIX^e</abbr> et au début du <abbr title="vingtième">XX^e</abbr> siècle. Les chercheurs s'intéressant à la <strong>criminalité et aux pratiques punitives</strong> 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 <abbr title="dix-neuvième">XIX^e</abbr> siècle.<br> <br> Ce jeu de données a été constitué dans le cadre du projet <strong>OUTLAW (2022–2026)</strong>, un projet de <em>science citoyenne</em> de quatre ans consacré aux archives pénitentiaires. Le projet est le fruit d'une collaboration entre les <strong>Archives de l'État à Gand</strong> et l'<strong>Université de Gand</strong>, avec le soutien de <strong>Histories <abbr title="association sans but lucratif">asbl</abbr></strong> et le financement de <strong><abbr title="Politique scientifique fédérale">BELSPO</abbr></strong>.<br> <br> Les 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.

1876-1925

2022-2024

Belgium, Belgium, Belgium

Bruges, West Flanders, Brugge, West-Vlaanderen, Bruges, Flandre-Occidentale

Belgium, België, Belgique

Individuals

Convicted prisoners

Archives

Administrative records

Prison registers

Moral registers

Prison of Bruges

Citizen science

Archives of Bruges prison (1795-1966). Online inventory: https://agatha.arch.be/data/ead/BE-A0513_113473_112128

State Archives in Bruges, Archives of Bruges prison (1795-1966), Moral registres, Inventory code: 513 / M40 / n° 246-282 (https://agatha.arch.be/data/ead/BE-A0513_113473_112128).

<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a> (CC-BY).

"OUTLAW – Complete dataset of the 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.

"OUTLAW - Prison of Arlon - Dataset of moral reports of 2.776 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Arlon, Belgium (1870-1924)", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/BEJMD4, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.

"OUTLAW - Prison of Dendermonde - Dataset of moral reports of 5.395 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Dendermonde, Belgium (1870-1924)", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/PDPQHA, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.

"OUTLAW - Prison of Nivelles - Dataset of moral reports of 2.998 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Nivelles, Belgium (1871-1924)", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/RB1GT5, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.

"OUTLAW - Prison of Oudenaarde - Dataset of moral reports of 262 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Oudenaarde, Belgium (1919-1924)", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/Z6N0W7, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.

"OUTLAW - Prison of Turnhout - Dataset of moral reports of 3.770 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Turnhout, Belgium (1872-1924)", https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/YPLS1R, Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA, 2026.

https://doi.org/10.34934/DVN/PTTRNQ

DATASET - "OUTLAW – Complete dataset of the 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.

AGATHA - Online inventory

INVENTARIS - Baert, J., Buyck, J., & Elslander, S. (1999). Inventaris van het archief van de gevangenis te Brugge (1795–1966) (Code of the inventory: M40). State Archives in Bruges.

AGATHA - Online inventory

INVENTARIS - Rotthier, I., & Buyck, J. (2000). Inventaris van het archief van de gevangenis te Brugge (1893–1991). Overdracht 1999 B (Code of the inventory: M41). State Archives in Bruges.

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Dataset_OUTLAW_gevangenis_Brugge_NL.xlsx

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OUTLAW Dataset van de morele verslagen van veroordeelde gedetineerden opgesloten in de gevangenis van Brugge – België (1876-1925) (Metadata in Dutch)

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

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Dataset_OUTLAW_prison_Bruges_FR.xlsx

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OUTLAW Dataset des comptes-rendus moraux des détenus condamnés de la prison de Bruges – Belgique (1876-1925) (Metadata in French)

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet