Penal Colonialism and National Sovereignty
Penal Colonialism and National Sovereignty
Porras and the Liberal Reforms, 1912–1924
The chapter deals with the period of state-building under the Liberal Belisario Porras through a discussion of the construction of the penal colony in the Island of Coiba. While modern criminology prescribed the construction of urban penitentiaries, the penal colony can be understood within the larger liberal state-building project. It was supposed to boost modern agricultural production, to rehabilitate the prisoner while teaching him to work, to colonize the “savage” interior of the country, and to connect its resources with the urban center. It is argued that Coiba was appealing to the liberals because it encapsulated the notion that in order for Panama to gain sovereignty, it had to be strong enough to “stand on its own”; in order to do so the government had to colonize the interior and civilize its lower classes.
Keywords: Belisario Porras, Isla de Coiba, penitentiaries, penal colonies, Panamanian liberalism, Panama Canal, Canal Zone, American empire
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