Eastern State Penitentiary
The Quakers in Pennsylvania, progressive in their thinking about the reform and rehabilitation of prison inmates, wanted to establish a new penal code for North America and in 1787 established the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. In 1829 they built an extraordinary walled city on the outskirts of Philadelphia, within which lies Eastern State Penitentiary. It is laid out in a panopticon plan, each vast interminably long corridor setting off from the single guard post, the eye in the middle.
Prisoners spent their sentence in solitary confinement, without seeing either guards, visitors or other inmates. The aim was to protect inmates' identities giving them the opportunity of a new start when they left prison, and to encourage self reflection which, in theory, was to lead to lasting repentance and reform. The inmates were not allowed reading material or to speak, whistle, sing or communicate. Failure to comply was punished by withdrawing food. Some inmates overcame this by wrapping notes around small stones and throwing them into the neighbouring yard. Drawing increasing criticism, the practice of absolute solitary confinement was abandoned in the 1870s.
Each cell had a tiny private exercise yard which prisoners could use for an hour each day, and where they could tend a small garden or keep a pet, a practice which was continued until the prison finally closed in 1971. The prison also included extensive workshops for trades and everything it needed to be as self-contained as a city. It even had a theatre and a synagogue. One governor had his inmates paint his office with classical frescoes.
The building went 4,500% over budget and then needed adding to as the prison population grew. At times there were up to 5 people to a one-man cell. Further wings were added, filling in between the spaces of the panopticon 'spokes'. A trust has taken over the building. Their work to endeavour to retain the spirit of the place is self-funded largely by a hugely popular Halloween trail.