This is a visual explainer based on the Wikipedia article on Devil's Island. Read the full source article here. (opens in new tab)

Devil's Island: Echoes of the Penal Colony

An academic exploration of French Guiana's infamous penal system, its history, and its enduring legacy.

Explore the System ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Delve into History ๐Ÿ“œ

Dive in with Flashcard Learning!


When you are ready...
๐ŸŽฎ Play the Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge Game๐ŸŽฎ

Organization

The Salvation Islands

The penal colony, officially known as the Bagne de Cayenne, was not confined to a single island. It comprised several locations, primarily within the Salvation Islands archipelago and on the mainland of French Guiana. The three main islands in the Salvation Islands group each served a distinct purpose:

  • รŽle Royale: This served as the reception center for the general population of the penal colony. Inmates here experienced a degree of moderate freedom due to the inherent difficulty of escaping the island.
  • Saint-Joseph Island: Known as the Reclusion, this island was designated for punishing inmates. Those sent here faced solitary confinement in silence and darkness, typically for attempted escapes or offenses committed within the penal system.
  • Devil's Island (รŽle du Diable): This island was specifically reserved for political prisoners, most notably Captain Alfred Dreyfus during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Mainland Facilities

In addition to the island prisons, the French established related penal facilities on the South American mainland. These included sites located:

  • Directly across the straits from the Salvation Islands, near Kourou.
  • Approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) east, in Cayenne, which later became the capital of French Guiana.
  • Approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) to the west, at St. Laurent-du-Maroni.

This distributed system allowed for the management of a vast number of convicts across a significant geographical area.

History

Early Penal Practices

Prior to the establishment of Devil's Island, France utilized various forms of penal servitude. During the 16th and 17th centuries, felons were often sentenced to serve as galley slaves in the French Navy. Following the decommissioning of galleys in 1666, prisoners were largely confined to decaying prison hulks moored in harbors, or housed in onshore prisons with notoriously harsh conditions. By the early 19th century, increasing urban populations and crime rates led to a focus on imprisonment as a means of societal removal and deterrence. The challenge of recidivism prompted the development of internal agricultural penal colonies.

Napoleon III's Decision

In the 1840s, the French Navy, managing the costly prison hulks, sought alternatives. Following his coup in 1851, Emperor Napoleon III mandated the closure of the hulks and the transfer of civil law convicts overseas. After considering various locations, France ultimately selected its existing colony of French Guiana, despite previous failed colonization attempts and high mortality rates among settlers. In 1852, Napoleon III called for volunteers from the hulks to populate the new Bagne de Cayenne, with approximately 3,000 convicts applying.

Convict Categories and Doublage

The French Guiana penal system accommodated two primary categories of prisoners:

  • Transportรฉs: Civil-law prisoners sentenced under the doublage system. This meant that upon completion of their original sentence, they were required to remain in the colony and work as employees for an additional period equal to their initial sentence. For sentences exceeding eight years, this often resulted in lifelong forced residency.
  • Dรฉportรฉs: Prisoners convicted of political crimes, such as espionage or conspiracy, who were exiled to the colonies.

This system aimed to remove offenders from metropolitan France while also facilitating the development and labor needs of the colonies.

The Colony's Reality

Harsh Conditions and Mortality

The Devil's Island prison system, operational from 1852 to 1952, became infamous for its extreme brutality and devastating conditions. The vast majority of the over 80,000 prisoners sent there never returned to France. Tropical diseases, exacerbated by mosquito infestations and inadequate sanitary systems, led to exceptionally high mortality rates, reaching as high as 75% in its worst periods. Inter-prisoner violence was also common, contributing to the grim reputation of the settlement.

Forced Residency and Settlement

A significant aspect of the penal regime was the law of forced residency, enacted in 1854. This law mandated that convicts remain in French Guiana for a period equal to their sentence after its completion. For those with sentences exceeding eight years, this often meant permanent exile. The French government attempted to encourage settlement by granting land to these freed prisoners, hoping they would establish families and contribute to the colony's development. A limited number of convicted women were also sent with the intention of marrying freed male inmates, though this practice yielded poor results and was discontinued in 1907.

Daily Life and Corruption

Convicts who had family or friends able to send financial support faced a system where prison guards often intercepted a portion of the funds. The standard practice involved the guard retaining approximately one-quarter of the amount sent before delivering the remainder to the prisoner. This highlights the pervasive corruption and exploitation that characterized the daily existence within the penal colony.

Escapes and Notoriety

Notable Escape Attempts

Despite the formidable challenges posed by geography and security, numerous escape attempts were made throughout the history of the penal colony. Some individuals managed to evade capture and reach freedom, contributing to the legend and notoriety of Devil's Island.

  • Charles DeRudio: Sentenced after an assassination attempt on Napoleon III, DeRudio escaped with twelve others, eventually reaching British Guiana. He later served in the American Army and survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
  • Clรฉment Duval: An anarchist sentenced to hard labor for life, Duval escaped in 1901 and fled to New York City, later documenting his experiences in the book Revolte.
  • Henri Charriรจโ€‹re: His autobiographical novel Papillon vividly describes his alleged escape using homemade rafts. However, French authorities and critics have disputed elements of his account, suggesting he may not have been imprisoned on Devil's Island itself and that some events were embellished or appropriated from other prisoners.
  • Renรฉ Belbenoรฎt: A prominent escapee and author, Belbenoรฎt wrote influential memoirs like Dry Guillotine, which exposed the horrors of the colony and contributed to public outcry for reform. He escaped multiple times, eventually settling in the United States.
  • William Willis: Documented in his book Damned and Damned Again, Willis orchestrated the escape of Bernard Carnot, a prisoner wrongly convicted, in 1938.

Aftermath and Legacy

Closure and Repatriation

Public outrage, fueled by accounts like Renรฉ Belbenoรฎt's, led the French government to halt sending prisoners to Devil's Island in 1938. The outbreak of World War II delayed the complete closure of the penal system, but by 1953, all prisons were officially shut down. Many remaining prisoners were repatriated to mainland France, often with assistance from organizations like the Salvation Army, while others chose to remain and resettle in French Guiana.

Modern Use and Tourism

In 1965, responsibility for most of the islands was transferred to the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) for the Guiana Space Centre. The islands are located within the trajectory of rocket launches and are evacuated during these events, hosting various measurement apparatus. Concurrently, the islands have transformed into tourist destinations. Restored sections of the former prisons now serve as museums, attracting over 50,000 visitors annually, offering a stark contrast to their grim past.

In Popular Culture

Enduring Narrative

The harrowing history and dramatic escapes associated with Devil's Island have cemented its place in popular culture, inspiring numerous books, films, and other media. These portrayals often emphasize the extreme suffering, the desperate attempts at freedom, and the psychological toll of incarceration.

  • Literature: Works like Renรฉ Belbenoรฎt's Dry Guillotine and Henri Charriรจโ€‹re's Papillon brought the penal colony's stories to a global audience.
  • Film: Numerous films, including Devil's Island (1939), Strange Cargo (1940), Passage to Marseilles (1944), and adaptations of Papillon (1973 and 2017), have dramatized life and escape from the island.
  • Television: Series such as The Wild Wild West and The Time Tunnel have featured episodes set on Devil's Island.
  • Music: Bands like Megadeth have referenced the island in their songs, reflecting its dark and evocative imagery.

These cultural representations, while sometimes dramatized, underscore the profound and lasting impact of Devil's Island on the collective imagination.

Teacher's Corner

Edit and Print this course in the Wiki2Web Teacher Studio

Edit and Print Materials from this study in the wiki2web studio
Click here to open the "Devil S Island" Wiki2Web Studio curriculum kit

Use the free Wiki2web Studio to generate printable flashcards, worksheets, exams, and export your materials as a web page or an interactive game.

True or False?

Test Your Knowledge!

Gamer's Corner

Are you ready for the Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge?

Learn about devil_s_island while playing the wiki2web Clarity Challenge game.
Unlock the mystery image and prove your knowledge by earning trophies. This simple game is addictively fun and is a great way to learn!

Play now

References

References

  1.  Begley, Louis. Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009, p. 67.
  2.  "Papillon alive and well in a Paris retirement home",Mail & Guardian, 26 June 2005.
A full list of references for this article are available at the Devil's Island Wikipedia page

Feedback & Support

To report an issue with this page, or to find out ways to support the mission, please click here.

Disclaimer

Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not professional advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for historical research, legal consultation, or any other form of professional guidance. Always consult with qualified experts for specific inquiries related to historical interpretation or legal matters.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.