“Can there be a combination more powerful for reformation than that of a prison which hands over the prisoner to all the trials of solitude, leads him through reflection to remorse, through religion to hope; makes him industrious by the burden of idleness?” - French Diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville after visiting Eastern State Penitentiary in 1831
Eastern State Penitentiary was made from the ideals of prison activists that wished for a more humane reform process. However, the Eastern State Penitentiary remains one of the most controversial and notorious prisons of its time. Upon arrival, some scholars boasted that solitude fueled positive reflection and remorse. Others disagreed, reporting that the Eastern State’s revolutionary system of solitary confinement stripped away prisoners’ last “shreds” of humanity, driving prisoners into madness.
It revolutionized penal systems by introducing solitary confinement and reform through mandated religion and literacy education, with the support that religion and education would supply prisoners with more effective reasoning and morals. The impact of the reforms will be evaluated through the change of the prisoners’ literacy level and religious adoption from the pre-sentencing to post-sentencing process, as noted in the prison’s admission books. We will also closely compare the administration’s comments on the moral behaviors of the prisoners who have and have not received education in the penitentiary, and thus determine whether the prison’s literacy and religious education were focused towards certain groups within the prison.
Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons
The first prison reform group in the world founded by Dr. Benjamin Rush. It promoted prison reform and social justice. The society lobbied for many years and eventually got approval from the Pennsylvania Legislature for the funding and designs for Eastern State Penitentiary.
Penitentiary House built
A “penitentiary house” of 16 cells was built inside the Walnut Street jail. Experiments of day and night solitary confinement begin.
Construction begins
Construction of foundation and walls break ground.
Eastern State opens
A legislation about “separate or solitary confinement at labor” is passed.The first inmate admitted was Charles Williams, a literate farmer who stole a watch, gold seal, and a gold key. He was sentenced to two years of confinement. Eastern State officially announces its prohibition of contact between prisoners.
Governments throughout world model prisons after Eastern State and tourists visit
Eastern State Penitentiary costs almost $780,000, one of the most expensive architectures in the United States at the time. Charles Dickens later writes about Eastern State describing it as “rigid, strict and hopeless solitary confinement… in its effects, to be cruel and wrong…” It becomes a tourist destination and a model for other prisons around the world.
First full time school teacher hired
Eastern State Penitentiary was hopeful in its reform methods and implemented education of religion and literacy as a way to “correct” prisoners.
Solitary confinement abandoned
Eastern State officially disbands its Pennsylvania System of solitary confinement. The system had be breaking down for decades already and multiple inmates have already attempted escapes.
Inmates riot
Because of inadequate recreational facilities, overcrowding of prisoners, and idleness, inmates set their cells on fire and destroy workshops. They continue their riots into the next year over low wages. Riot methods include short-circuiting electrical outlets, fires, and other disturbances. The Warden puts down the riots.
Eastern State closes
Eastern State Penitentiary officially closes. The Federal Government declares Eastern State a National Historic Landmark. The remaining inmates were sent to the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. The electrical and mechanical systems are basically destroyed, but the walls and paint remain in pristine condition.
Present day Eastern State is historic site Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. is now a nonprofit organization. Their mission is to showcase the legacy of American criminal justice reform within the abandoned structure of Eastern State. They hope to educate and engage visitors in a national conversation about criminal justice. Tourists can tour the abandoned prison and learn about the history of the U.S. justice system.