Dungeon is the name given to prisons located underground, mostly from old castles. They are dark places, dark and gloomy.
Dungeons were common in medieval castles, where prisoners were held for long periods of time, sometimes until their death. They were widely used throughout the Middle Ages, mainly in Europe.
These underground prisons were unhealthy and totally sheltered from sunlight. Most of the time, prisoners were not even fed or had the right to lie down or sit, being tied upright by chains.
Currently, dungeons remain active in literature, cinema and plastic arts in general as scenarios for fictional narratives or based on historical facts.
However, it is perhaps the video game industry that most explores dungeons today, as base scenarios for various types of game plots, where the player has the opportunity to interact with the environment and get to know better what the old dungeons looked like medieval.
In Brazil, according to article 240 of the Code of Military Criminal Procedure, dungeons are prohibited as a space destined for the imprisonment of people.
"Art. 240. The prison must be in a clean and ventilated place, where the detainee can rest during the night, being forbidden to retire in the dungeon, solitary confinement or cell where daylight does not penetrate. Respect for the prisoner's integrity and assistance" (Law No. 1002, October 21, 1969).
