Eastern State Penitentiary

Seeing as to how the individuals who established the prison believed that all inmates had good inside of them in the potential to be rehabilitated, Eastern State Penitentiary was built to be progressive and meant to instill fear and pierce the soul. of course, this was not unconditionally regarded as a universal experience. As I will touch later, quite a large number of individuals Express their disdain towards the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation system that incorporates solitary confinement into most of the inmates time.

And so, as we entered the prison turned Museum, we learned about Henry Enlicker, who was 1 of 3 people born here. It actually said so on his birth certificate. His grandpa being deputy warden.

The courtyard Henry used to romp around in.

We then went on to tour the first cell block, which was meant to be a general waiting tank. Overall, conditions sucked. there was a lack of proper cleaning facilities, there were no windows in most of the facility, and it also came without any heating or air condition. Generally, the weather on the outside of the walls reflected the weather on the inside.

However, it was the first modern building, albeit with no front doors. They anticipated no rowdy crowds and no typhus outbreaks, and astonishingly enough, it was just as such. when the remodel came, there was heating and running water and it was more modern than the whitehouse. It had sophistication that the White House lacked, as even the president at that point in time, Andrew Jackson, was mostly using a chamber pot.

And so, we learned about solitary confinement. The goal of solitary confinement here was to allow time for reflection to become penitent, per the humane society of Philadelphia. Prisoners never saw other inmates, spent 23 hours in cell, working, weaving, crafting, shoe crafting, and got 2 half hour breaks a day. Approximately every 2 weeks he could bathe, and so, this is when he was allotted more time outside of his cell. whenever any movement occurred outside of the solitary exercise Courtyard or solitary room, The Prisoner was nearly always blindfolded buy a bag placed over the head so that he could not learn his way around the penitentiary or to see and interact with others.

Where they were took if they were injured.

Guards often wore bags on their shoes to muffle their footsteps, and they kept close eye on all inmates. There were severe punishments for talking, such as a straightjacket and gag. as such, Charles Dickens wrote that this prison put the person in a position that was one step between insanity and inmate.

Cell 4 eventually had life sentences. Some people are still incarcerated elsewhere that were once confined Within These Walls. by the 1940s, everyone had a job, including a band and choir.

On a secondary note, alot of inmates couldnt be tracked after release, so nobody knew how they did. It was largely known though, that in those days, inmates often times did not return to prison after their release. this, unfortunately, changed quite a lot throughout the years of mass incarceration.

Isolation to the extreme was most common in the PA system, but in NY, they workes and ate together, but in silence. Isolation, at this point in time, began to be too controversial and expensive, so the Pennsylvania system of penance eventually broke down by about 1870.

The guards we're not always the bad guy, though. Some of the guards had heart, especially Sloan. people had celebrated  holidays and had fun. And at one point, AL Capone got tonsils removed here in this present during one holiday.

The catwalk upon which they stood.

A lot of other individuals weren't enthused about the place, though. a lot of suffering happened here. And so, in 1971, it was shut forever.

Tickets run from $10 to $16, and is open for tour most weekdays. Check it out sometime!