1816 (Judicial Oversight and Prisons): Under the French administration, the Commissary of Justice was required to regularly visit the prisons and houses of c…

1816 (Judicial Oversight and Prisons): Under the French administration, the Commissary of Justice was required to regularly visit the prisons and houses of correction within the colony. He was tasked with hearing the complaints of the prisoners and ensuring that the judicial system operated according to French mandates. This official was also responsible for reporting on the conduct of the judges and other legal officers to the Captain-General. Sanders preserved these details to contrast the colonial legal apparatus with the “enlightened systems of policy” later adopted by the King of Hayti. The transition from these colonial constraints to the “Constitutional Law” of the kingdom is a central theme of the collection.