Convicts

Convicts

At a later stage, during the 1500s, the Republic of Venice introduced a new punishment: being sentenced to imprisonment on board the Galleys, the Venetian battleships. Here the prisoners would be chained up and made to row the boat instead of serving their penalty inside the overcrowded prison. At that time, it was also believed that this punishment was rehabilitating when compared to rotting away in the filthy cells. It also provided the Venetian fleet with free of charge rowers.

One year's stay on the galleys was equivalent to 2 years' imprisonment. according to the prison sentence count.

As for the other prisoners, those sentenced to rowing had to pay the maintenance, the legal costs and the acts of release.