Tuesday, November 24, 2026
5:30 - 7:30pm EST
Details to come, check back for updates.
We strive to make the penitentiary and our site, programs, and exhibits accessible to all visitors. Click here to learn more about accessibility and accommodations at ESPHS.
This program is part of Justice 101, a discussion series that dives into some of the most pressing issues in criminal justice today, through a historical lens and with a focus on civic education. Each program includes interactive elements, expert voices, and opportunities for community dialogue.
This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Thursday, September 17, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Explore the history of the U.S. criminal justice system beginning with Eastern State Penitentiary, a revolutionary attempt at prison reform led by Benjamin Franklin and other Framers of the U.S. Constitution. Consider how founding ideals of liberty and freedom impacted—and continue to play a role in—justice reform today. Moderated by Kerry Sautner, Ed.D. (President and CEO, Eastern State) and featuring Ashley T. Rubin, Ph.D. (Professor of Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa), a leading scholar in U.S. carceral history and author of "The Deviant Prison: Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary and the Origins of America's Modern Penal System."
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Explore the complex legal story of religious freedom and the justice system, and unpack how it continues to unfold in courtrooms, prisons, and jails across the country today. Delve into notable rulings that protected the rights of incarcerated people to practice their faiths behind bars. Speakers include Michael Moreland, J.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Law and Religion & Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Villanova University) and others to be announced.
Thursday, December 03, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Details to come, check back for updates.
Wednesday, December 09, 2026
5:30pm - 6:30pm
Additional details to come, check back for updates. Join us for an evening that opens with a panel discussion and features live musical performances exploring how religious connection sustains people through incarceration.