Justice 101: The History of American Incarceration
Thursday, September 17, 2026
2:00 - 3:00pm EST
Celebrate Constitution Day with us online—from your classroom, office, or anywhere at all!
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. (Associate 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."
About the Panelists:
Ashley Rubin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
Ashley Rubin is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She holds a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley. Rubin’s research explores the dynamics of penal change throughout US history using interdisciplinary perspectives and focusing on micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis. Her work draws especially on the interdisciplinary fields of organizational theory, prison sociology, prison history, punishment and society, and law and society. Rubin is the author of The Deviant Prison (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and Rocking Qualitative Social Science (Stanford University Press, 2021). Since 2015, she has been the co-organizer of CRN 27 (Punishment & Society); Rubin is also a past member of the LSA Board of Trustees and is a past organizer of the Junior Scholars Workshop (Toronto 2018).
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.
