The New Prisons Palace included a space dedicated to trials. It is the only courtroom in the building preserved almost intact.
Here sat the judges, the prosecution, the defense lawyer and the clerk, responsible for recording every phase of the trial. The accused was not allowed to attend and waited outside for the verdict.
A significant innovation was introduced here: the court-appointed lawyer, assigned to defendants who could not afford legal representation.
Records preserved from these trials show a wide range of punishments. Some resemble modern penalties, such as fines or imprisonment. Others were far harsher, including torture and the death penalty.
Public executions took place between the two columns of St Mark’s Piazzetta, near the waterfront. The bodies of the executed were displayed for several days between the two pink columns visible on the upper level of the Doge’s Palace.
