Initial construction XVIIIe-XIXe siècles (≈ 1865)
Prison building period.
décembre 2008
Final closure
Final closure décembre 2008 (≈ 2008)
Transfer of prisoners to new centre.
2013
Archaeological excavations
Archaeological excavations 2013 (≈ 2013)
Discovery of volcanic stone cells.
23 octobre 2019
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 23 octobre 2019 (≈ 2019)
Protection of buildings and enclosure walls.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The buildings, as named on the plan annexed to the decree, B, C and D in full, the walls of north and west enclosure with the entrance doors, the facades of buildings E, F, G and H of the former Juliette-Dodu prison, located 43 Juliette Dodu Street and its sitting floor (Box AD 354): inscription by order of 23 October 2019
Key figures
Juliette Dodu - Street figure
Name associated with the prison (undetailed historical link).
Origin and history
The Juliette-Dodu prison is a former colonial prison located on the eponymous street, one of the shopping streets of Saint-Denis, capital of La Réunion. Built between the 18th and 19th centuries, it was known for its extreme age, to the point of being called "the shame of the Republic". Its dilapidated conditions reflected the logistical and human challenges of the prison infrastructure of the time in the ultramarine territories. The site housed, among other things, a volcanic stone structure, discovered during excavations in 2013, where the most dangerous detainees were locked up.
In December 2008, the last prisoners were transferred to the new prison in Saint-Denis, marking the final closure of the institution. Since then, a project has been designed to transform the old prison into a complex combining social housing, shops and parking. This project, however, sparks debate: a citizen collective, the "Collectif pour la mémoire de la prison Juliette-Dodu", is campaigning for the partial preservation of the site as a place of memory, stressing its historical and symbolic importance.
Classified as a historical monument in October 2019, Juliette-Dodu prison sees its main buildings (B, C, D), its enclosure walls, as well as the facades of buildings E, F, G and H protected by decree. These measures aim to reconcile urban rehabilitation with heritage conservation, while paying tribute to its complex prison past. The site, located at 43 rue Juliette-Dodu, today embodies the challenges of memory and modernization of urban spaces in Réunion.
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