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Established in 1852, Devil\u2019s Island, one of six penal colonies in French Guiana, was finally closed on 22nd August, 1953. Nicknamed the \u2018Green Hell\u2019 and the \u2018Dry Guillotine\u2019, it earned a reputation as \u2018The Alcatraz of South America\u2019: the world\u2019s most brutal prison.\nEstablished by Emperor Napoleon III to remove political opponents and jumpstart France\u2019s programme of colonisation, the horrors of the islands became more understood in France following the publication of memoirs by Ren\xe9 Belbeno\xeet and Henri \u2018Papillon\u2019 Charri\xe8re.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why a spell on Devil\u2019s Island was potentially preferable to elsewhere in Guiana; reveal what the guards did with rebellious prisoners and their cadavers; and check out some contemporary perspectives - on TripAdvisor\u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 Why Devil's Island Was The World's Most Feared Prison (All Thats Interesting, 2021): https://allthatsinteresting.com/devils-island\n\u2022 \u2018Notorious French Prison Turns Into a No-Man's Land\u2019 (LA Times, 2002): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-15-adfg-devilisle15-story.html\n\u2022 \u2018Devil's Island Prison Colony\u2019 (British Path\xe9, 1947): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_xCHbpkDss\n#Crime #France #Macabre #50s\nLove the show? Join\xa0\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\xa0\U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\nJoin now via\xa0Apple Podcasts\xa0or\xa0Patreon.\xa0Thanks!\n\xa0\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\n\xa0\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices