OUTLAW - Prison of Turnhout - Dataset of the moral reports of 3.770 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Turnhout, Belgium (1872-1924) (doi:10.34934/DVN/YPLS1R)

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OUTLAW - Prison of Turnhout - Dataset of the moral reports of 3.770 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Turnhout, Belgium (1872-1924)

doi:10.34934/DVN/YPLS1R

Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA

2026-05-19

1

Bohez, Vera; Cornelis, Hugo; Geudens, Eric; Lenaerts, Kristien; Marannes, Ronny; Van Damme, Franky; Van den Bergh, Willy; Vannuffelen, Marc; Verhoeven, Jos; Verhoeven, Witse; Vermeiren, Jan; Buelen, Johan; De Corte, Johan; De Neve, Ditte; Vandenberghe, An, 2026, "OUTLAW - Prison of Turnhout - Dataset of the 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, V1

OUTLAW - Prison of Turnhout - Dataset of the moral reports of 3.770 convicted prisoners held at the prison of Turnhout, Belgium (1872-1924)

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

doi:10.34934/DVN/YPLS1R

Bohez, Vera (OUTLAW volunteer)

Cornelis, Hugo (OUTLAW volunteer)

Geudens, Eric (OUTLAW volunteer)

Lenaerts, Kristien (OUTLAW volunteer)

Marannes, Ronny (OUTLAW volunteer)

Van Damme, Franky (OUTLAW volunteer)

Van den Bergh, Willy (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vannuffelen, Marc (OUTLAW volunteer)

Verhoeven, Jos (OUTLAW volunteer)

Verhoeven, Witse (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vermeiren, Jan (OUTLAW volunteer)

Buelen, Johan (OUTLAW volunteer)

De Corte, Johan (OUTLAW volunteer)

De Neve, Ditte (OUTLAW volunteer)

Vandenberghe, An (OUTLAW volunteer)

Drossens, Paul

Vandenberghe, An

Buelen, Johan

De Corte, Johan

De Neve, Ditte

State Archives of Belgium

BELSPO - Federal Science Policy

Excel

B2/212/P2/OUTLAW

Social Sciences and Digital Humanities Archive – SODHA

State Archives in Ghent

Paul Drossens

Vandenberghe, An

2026-05-16

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/YPLS1R

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 Turnhout prison between 1872 and 1924</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 Turnhout 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 <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 Turnhout (1872–1924)</h3><br> <strong>Deze dataset bevat gegevens over 3.770 gedetineerden uit de morele registers van de gevangenis van Turnhout. Deze veroordeelde gedetineerden verbleven in het Turnhoutse strafhuis tussen 1872 en 1924</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 Turnhout 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 kwam tot stand 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 de vrijwilligers van het Rijksarchief te Gent, Erfgoedcel Dijk92, Erfgoedcel Noorderkempen en het Gevangenismuseum Merksplas.

<h3>Registres moraux de la prison de Turnhout (1872–1924) </h3><br> <strong>Cet ensemble de données contient des informations issues des registres moraux des détenus ayant purgé une peine à la prison de Turnhout entre 1872 et 1924</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 Turnhout et de sa région à la fin du XIXe et au début du XXe 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 XIXe siècle. <br> <br> Ce jeu de données a été constitué dans le cadre du projet <strong>OUTLAW (2022–2026) </strong>, un projet de science citoyenne 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 asbl</strong> et le financement de <strong>BELSPO</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.

1872-1924

2022-2024

Belgium, Belgium, Belgium

Turnhout, Antwerp, Turnhout, Antwerpen, Turnhout, Anvers

Belgium, België, Belgique

Individuals

Convicted prisoners

Administrative records

Prison registers

Moral registers

Prison of Turnhout

Citizen science

Archives of Turnhout prison (1795-1987). Online inventory: https://agatha.arch.be/data/ead/BE-A0512_116451_115150

State Archives in Beveren, Archives of Turnhout prison (1795-1987), Moral registres, Inventory code: 512 / M62A / n° 188-206 (https://agatha.arch.be/data/ead/BE-A0512_116451_115150).

<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 - Velle, K., & Heerwegh, L. (1998). Inventaris van het archief van de gevangenis te Turnhout (1795–1987) (Code of the Inventory: M62A). State Archives in Beveren.

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Dataset_OUTLAW_gevangenis_Turnhout_NL.xlsx

Text:

OUTLAW Dataset van de morele verslagen van veroordeelde gedetineerden opgesloten in de gevangenis van Turnhout – België (1872-1924) (Metadata in Dutch)

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

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Dataset_OUTLAW_prison_Turnhout_FR.xlsx

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OUTLAW Dataset des comptes-rendus moraux des détenus condamnés de la prison de Turnhout – Belgique (1872-1924) (Metadata in French)

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet