Legal Definitions - carcanum

Historically, a carcanum referred to a type of correctional institution, functioning either as a prison for holding offenders or as a workhouse for the poor and vagrant.

• Example 1: In a 16th-century European town, a local magistrate might order a repeat offender, caught stealing minor goods, to be confined in the town's small, fortified building until their trial. This building, serving as a place of detention for those accused of crimes, would be considered a carcanum in its capacity as a prison.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates a carcanum acting as a prison, a facility used to incarcerate individuals awaiting judgment or serving a sentence for their transgressions.

• Example 2: During the 18th century, a destitute individual in a large city, unable to find employment or shelter, might be sent to a municipal institution where they were required to perform arduous manual labor, such as breaking stones or spinning wool, in exchange for basic food and lodging. This institution, designed to house and compel the poor to work, exemplifies a carcanum in its function as a workhouse.

  Explanation: Here, the carcanum serves as a workhouse, a historical institution where the impoverished or unemployed were confined and made to perform labor, often under harsh conditions.

• Example 3: A historical record from a 17th-century port city describes a grim, stone structure near the docks where sailors who deserted their ships were held. While confined, they were often forced to mend sails or repair rigging for the port authority before being returned to their vessels or facing further punishment. This facility served both to detain offenders and to extract labor from them.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates the dual nature of a carcanum, acting both as a prison for detaining those who committed an offense (desertion) and as a workhouse by compelling them to perform labor during their confinement.