In 1745, the castle of the Dukes of Alençon already held 600 Dutch prisoners of war. During the French Revolution of 1789, supporters of refractory priests were molested, shaved, and paraded on donkeys in the city. The castle suffered during the great looting of 1792 and became a prison and the People's courthouse. In 1804, the prison of Alençon was created at the cost of major works (interior courtyards and their surrounding walls). In 2010, it was permanently transferred to Croisettes in Coulaines, near Le Mans.