A flexible punitive institution: the Casa di correzione of Milan in the second half of the eighteenth century

The Casa di correzione of Milan was finally founded in 1766 with the goal of fighting the idleness and inactivity of the lower classes. In reality, it promptly became a place of punishment not only for unruly children and beggars, but also for convicts and female criminals. Consequently, the institution performed tasks and functions that diverged from its original mandate, leading to a continuous redefinition of its punitive regimes based on the inmates’ type, gender, and age. Drawing on archival documentation, this paper aims to explore how and why the Casa di correzione reconfigured itself over the years, navigating the tension between theoretical principles of criminal law and practical needs tied to labour. Thus, it seeks to highlight the profile of a punitive institution internally divided by different punitive regimes which are also subject to continuous reconfiguration processes dictated by the desire/need to differentiate or standardise the treatment of prisoners.