Sunday, February 01 - Saturday, February 28, 2026
All Day
Included with admission. Visit this video installation near the historic site’s central rotunda to hear from prominent civil rights leaders who spoke and wrote from behind bars, using their voices to challenge oppression and inspire collective change.
Ask any staff member for more information.
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 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 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.
This program is part of Finding Justice: The Civil Rights Movement. Through storytelling, historical interpretation, and creative engagement, these programs highlight the voices and actions of those who fought for civil rights and challenged the nation to live up to its founding ideals.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online only. This program explores how postwar reforms, shifting labor systems, and emerging state and local policies influenced patterns of incarceration and social order in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Thursday, March 05, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates. Join us for a conversation on prison gerrymandering, a practice that distorts our democratic process and dilutes the political power of communities across the nation.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Free. In honor of Reentry and Restorative Justice Day, join us for a conversation on the challenges and opportunities for women as they reenter society post-incarceration.
Friday, March 27 - Sunday, April 05, 2026
All Day
A week of immersive history, storytelling, and hands-on discovery.
Wednesday, April 01 - Thursday, April 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Friday, May 01 - Sunday, May 31, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday, July 01 - Friday, July 31, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.