The Creation of the Penitentiary Law

The way up to the penitentiary laws was lengthy. The first draft was made by the attorney general back in 1896. Several proposals were put forward by shifting governments in the 1920s. A demonstration on the public gallery while the laws were debated angered the leader of the Liberal Party and caused the party to shift sides. Thus the penitentiary laws were a fact. “A free passage for Judas,” cried the leader of the confederation of trade unions. The laws were condemned as illegitimate and unfair, depriving the workers of the possibility to strike for better conditions. The criticism was joined by prominent members of the legal community, and the trade unions and socialist parties vowed to violate the law.