Hungarian Prison Service

The penal administration has written documents dating back to the founding of the state, as ever since legislation started penal administration exists. The first ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary, King Saint Stephen has already decreed that whoever infringes upon his regulations shall be incarcerated. Later King Saint Ladislaus spells it out in a more exact way as the word prison (incarcerem) may be found in his laws. According to  written sources we may speak about the penalty of incarceration from the 11th century. In the Middle Ages the cellars of castles and fortresses were used as prisons. Thanks to legislation passed in later ages, the need for such buildings and institutions grew. In the 15-16th centuries the penalty “lifetime incarceration” is already known and used. This sentence is carried out in the case of noblemen and priests participating in the Dózsa-rebellion. King Sigismund and Wladislaus punished forgers and fraudulent priests working at places of authentication as well as those who gave false oaths.
The first Hungarian collection of legislation that mentioned custodial sentence as a punishment was the Corpus Juris Hungarici in 1723, which was the first Hungarian law codex as well. Up until the opening of the first national prison, the cell blocks of counties, of Free Royal Towns with municipal rights, territories with legal powers and the castles and fortresses of the military have been used for administering penalties. The first national prison opened its doors in 1772 in Szempcz (today: Szenc), the building of which was offered by Count Ferenc Esterházy on the condition that each inmate must pay for their own custody and support. The prison stopped working in 1832, the reason was that the upkeep of inmates was growing expensive.