Authorizing legislation was finally passed on March
20, 1821, and eleven commissioners were appointed by the governor.
Among them was Samuel Wood, later to be the first warden of the prison. All
but three of the building commissioners were either members
of the Pennsylvania Prison Society or had served on the board of inspectors
of the Walnut Street jail.
Members of the Prison Society felt that the solution
to the disorder and corruption in most prisons and even at the Walnut
Street Jail lay in complete separation of each inmate
for his or her entire sentence,
a system which had been tried occasionally in England but was always
abandoned because of costs and inadequate prison structures. The small "penitentiary
house" of 16 cells at Walnut Street jail had ended up being used
mostly for hard core prisoners and as punishment of infractions of
prison rules. What was needed was a wholly new kind of prison on a
large scale.
In 1822, work began on what was to
become Eastern State Penitentiary, although at the
time it was called Cherry Hill because it displaced a cherry orchard.
Despite not being finished, the prison opened in 1829.
Completed in 1836, it turned out to be one of the largest structures in
the country at the time and far exceeding preliminary cost estimates.
Each prisoner was to be provided with
a cell from which they would rarely leave
and each cell had to be large enough to be a workplace and
have attached a small individual exercise yard. Cutting
edge technology of the 1820s and 1830s was used to install conveniences
unmatched in other public buildings: central heating (before the U.S.
Capitol); a flush toilet in each cell (long before the White House
was provided with such conveniences); shower baths (apparently the
first in the country).
The system of 24-hour separation of each prisoner coupled
with in-cell feeding, work, and sometimes vocational instruction, came
to be known as the Pennsylvania System or Separate
System, and remained the official position of the Pennsylvania Prison
Society throughout the 19th century, although the system and its unusual
architecture–a central hub and radiating cellblocks–were
seldom imitated in other states. An alternative system known as the Auburn or Silent system
developed elsewhere in the United States, with individual sleeping
cells, sometimes as small as 2½ by 6 ½ feet, and work
in congregate shops in silence during
the day. By the early decades of the 20th Century, neither system was
used in the United States. However, the Separate System and
its distinctive hub-and-spoke or radial architecture,
which had developed in the Philadelphia prison, became the template for
reform all over Europe, South America, and Asia.
The role of the Prison Society could
be subsumed under three rubrics: oversight and advocacy, prison
visiting, and assistance to men and women
released from prison. From the time of the organization’s inception,
Prison Society members made regular visits to prisons
to speak with prisoners about their lives as well as conditions in
the prison. Some scholars believe that those early visitors were easily
hoodwinked by both officials and inmates but certainly their periodic
visits did discourage some of the abuses which might otherwise have
occurred over the years. Such matters as food, clothing, heating of
the cells and sanitation could be noticed by the visitors. At Eastern
State Penitentiary in one month alone, in 1861, nearly 800 visits in
the cells and 300 at the cell door were carried out by Prison Society
members.
The Prison Society’s Official Visitors are
provided access to all state and county correctional facilities through act of
legislature. This legislative mandate, unmatched anywhere in the nation,
ensures citizen involvement in the administration of justice which
provides a base of information for the oversight of the prison system
and for inmate advocacy. Today, the Prison Society’s
network of more than 450 Official Visitors makes roughly 5,000 prison
visits each year and continues to be one of the most vital and important
aspects of the organization.
Advocacy issues
the Prison Society has tackled in recent years include: influencing
the Board of Pardons to hear more cases, especially those of life sentenced
prisoners; encouraging legislative changes in the areas of early parole
for "good time" behavior, repealing mandatory sentencing
codes, establishing specialty courts (drug and mental health), and
promoting legislation that does not prohibit ex-offenders from employment,
housing, and public welfare benefits; advocating for the abolition
of the death penalty; meeting regularly with top corrections officials
to promote reform.
As part of its mission to inform the public on issues
dealing with the treatment of prisoners and corrections in general,
the Prison Society established in 1845 the Journal
of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, which is published today
as The Prison Journal. Additionally, the Prison Society published
a quarterly newsletter, Correctional Forum, as well as a monthly
newsletter, Graterfriends, published primarily for prisoners.
Additionally, the Prison Society provides testimony on criminal justice
issues, community speakers, and panelists for seminars and conferences.
The Prison Society is involved in a wide range of program
areas which provide services for prisoners, ex-offenders,
and their families. For example, Re-Entry Services Programs empower
ex-offenders to become respected and productive members of the community
by helping them with life skills, obtaining necessary identification,
job search preparation, and job readiness. Restorative
Justice services help offenders find meaningful ways
to be accountable for their crimes and build relationships with communities
and victims.
Because "life means life" in Pennsylvania,
the graying prison population is
rising dramatically and the Prison Society provides case management
to incarcerated men and women age 50 and older. The Prison Society
helps families affected by incarceration build and maintain their relationships
through programs such as virtual video conferencing, parenting education,
and support groups for children of incarcerated parents.
For more than two centuries, the Prison
Society has worked diligently to combine justice and compassion for
a more humane and restorative correctional system. Today, the Prison
Society continues that mission with patience and passion and with steadfast
energy through a dedicated and competent statewide staff, a committed
board of directors with exceptional expertise in the criminal justice
and corrections world, and more than 1,000 members who support the
organization.
