CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · History & Society

Prisons in Denmark

type of punishment in Denmark; for the government institution, see "Danmarks Fængsler" (Q12308659) or "Styrelsen for Danmarks Fængsler" (Q137361173)

Layered newspapers, civic records and oral-history reels arranged as chronological evidence
History and societyInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 4, 2025
Entity authorityQ12307669
Source-derived summary

Prisons in Denmark are classified in the following categories: state prisons, local prisons, as well as the Western Prison in Copenhagen. State prisons may be closed, semi-open, and open. In local prisons and in the Western Prison many rules are the same as in closed state prisons. A closed prison has more staff and control than an open prison and has stricter rules about money, telephone calls, visits, etc. For example, inmate's letters from closed state prisons are usually checked before being posted, with the exception of letters from and to certain higher authorities. In open state prisons, letters are usually not checked. It is illegal for visitors to bring a cell phone to a closed prison.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Prisons in Denmark” as type of punishment in Denmark; for the government institution, see "Danmarks Fængsler" (Q12308659) or "Styrelsen for Danmarks Fængsler" (Q137361173). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA strong contextual entry point for chronology, institutions and public events when official records are distinguished from later interpretation. The current 117-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Prisons, Denmark and type can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as type of punishment in Denmark; for the government institution, see "Danmarks Fængsler" (Q12308659) or "Styrelsen for Danmarks Fængsler" (Q137361173). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q12307669. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.

Best used for
  • Event chronology
  • Institutional context
  • Locating named record creators
Verify next

Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Prisons in Denmark”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Prisons in Denmark primary sources, Prisons in Denmark archive and Prisons research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Prisons in Denmark”?
  2. Who created the surviving record, and for what administrative purpose?
  3. Which voices are present, absent or mediated by the institution?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Prisons in Denmark” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.