Prisons in ancient Rome

In ancient Rome prisons would often be used as areas to hold prisoners until they faced punishment. Prisoners would be treated horribly, although during the later parts of the history of the empire Christian charity could help improve the lives of prisoners somewhat. Prisons would be filthy, underground, and hot. Often times prisoners would be tortured into revealing information. This also served the ulterior motive of deterring crime. The ministers of the prisons were the Tresviri Capitales. Notable prisons in ancient Rome are the Mamertine prison and Ergastulum. rdf:langString