The prisons in the Teke Sanjak at the end pf the 19th century and early 20th century

The crime, which has a close history with humanity, has been tried to be eliminated by humanity. In this sense, different attitudes were taken against the offender and a war was opened against the criminal behavior of the offender. This war was aimed at destroying the crime and punishing the criminal and removing him/her from his/her criminal conduct. Thus, the methods of punishment along with crime have also developed. At first, these methods were more brutal than later, and this was negatively treated. For this reason, punishment methods were softened and new methods were developed. The most popular among these methods was the prison sentence. The Prison Sentence emerged in Europe in the 16th century and spread and developed in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The imprisonment and prison has came to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and it was started to spread in all Ottoman geography in this century. The imprisonment has entered Ottoman Empire with Gülhane Hatt-ı Hümayunu was legally placed in the state with the criminal laws issued in 1841, 1851 and 1858. In 1846, one prison was started to be built in every province and district center of the Ottoman Empire. The prisons, which started to be built in every province and district center, also started to be seen in Teke Sanjak at the same years. In the beginning, in Antalya, the center of the sanjak, two rooms in the government house were used as a prison. Then in 1873 a new prison was built. However, a new prison was necessarily built in the early 20th century because the new prison became ruined and inadequate to the prisoners. There had been many health and economic problems both in old prisons and in the new prison. Many of these problems had reflected in prisoners and officers most of time. Women's prisons in all districts of Teke Sanjak, were generally rented houses. During the construction of the Antalya Prison, a two-chamber has been allocated for women in the prison, thus, there had been a women prison in the central district from the 20th century. The basement floors of the government houses were used as the prisons of Akseki, Alanya, Elmalı and Kaş which are the other districts of Teke Sanjak. The situation in the prisons of these districts, which had never has a seperate prison, was not different with the Antalya Prison. The situation of the prisons, sanitary conditions and the problems of the prisoners were constantly being a problem. These prisons in the basement of the government houses are expressed in the archive documents as airless, narrow, damp, dark and spreading disease. In the Korkuteli, Finike and Manavgat which became the other districts of Teke Sanjak in the last period of the Ottoman Empire, the basement floors of goverment houses were used as prisons. Economic problems in the state were reflected in prisons. For this reason, in the Teke Sanjak, prison which are suitable or health conditions could not be cnstructed. In the following period, although only a prison was made in the center, it was not possible to build a prison in other districts due to economic reasons. The inability to build healthy prisons is naturally reflected in prisoners. Prisoners in Teke prisons had been seen to have many health problems and even those who had died because of these diseases. Economic problems were also reflected in prison officcers. Officers who did not perform their duties due to low salaries remained indifferent and indifferent to many issues ranging from dealing with prison to the needs and health of prisoners. Low salaries also caused officers to get into corruption and therefore had been dismissed from their posts. Officers indifference also led to escapes. Many prisoners from Teke prisons tried to escape, some of them escaped, there had been those who died during escape, and some of them had never been caught after they escaped. Prisoners, prison officers and prisons constantly caused difficulties to the Ottoman State. At the last period of Ottoman Empire other problems related to prison and prison had been added to the economic, political and social problems of the state. Most importantly, expenses of prisons caused even more difficulties for the state.