Tuesday, September 01 - Wednesday, September 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please 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 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.
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.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Free event. Advance registration required. Join us for a screening of the documentary “Free Joan Little” followed by a discussion with director Yoruba Richen.
Friday, May 01 - Sunday, May 31, 2026
All Day
Date to be confirmed—please check back for updates. This discussion examines the practice of adaptive reuse and how it has transformed historic structures and landscapes of trauma into spaces that serve new public purposes while honoring their past.
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 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.
Thursday, October 01 - Saturday, October 31, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.