Spanish Prisons / The Inquisition at Home and Abroad, Prisons Past and Present

The work surveys the institutions and procedures of the Spanish Inquisition, recounting its jurisdiction, tribunals, autos da fé and the penalties imposed, and examines the wider persecution of Jews and Moors. Drawing on the author's experience as a prison inspector, it traces the evolution of Spanish prisons, their conversion from monastic buildings, conditions and slow adoption of modern cellular systems, and discusses notable foreign manifestations of inquisitorial power, including Portugal and colonial India. Additional chapters consider early prisons and presidios, daily life in colonial garrisons such as Ceuta, brigandage and its suppression, and episodes of penal reform and humanitarian improvement.