Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is home to Eastern State Penitentiary, one of the most expensive prisons ever built. The penitentiary was used to house some of America’s most scandalous criminals and known to be the most haunted prison in the United States. In 1787 the idea of this new prison system came about. Men gathered in the home of Benjamin Franklin to discuss the reform. During this time period, prisoners lived in inhumane environments. Adults and children who committed any time of crime were housed together. Petty criminals and murderers were left to live in the same environment. They were left in dirty cells that were overcrowded and full of disease. These cells were also very dangerous due to the lack of supervision. Rape, robbery, and beatings were very common between both inmates and jailors. This led to the founding of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. Seven years before the penitentiary was completed it housed 250 inmates. It was set up like today’s prisons. Each inmate had their own toilet, running water, shower/bath, skylight, heat, and an exercise yard. From the minute inmates were brought in they were isolated and escorted into the prison with an eyeless hood over their head.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter.