October 23, 1829
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia received its first prisoner, burglar Charles Williams (18). It was based on the progressive Quaker idea of reform through solitude and reflection (hence the name penitentiary, which comes from the same root as repentance.) This “Pennsylvania System” was opposed contemporaneously by the” Auburn system” (also known as the” New York system”), which held that prisoners should be forced to work together in silence, and could be subjected to physical punishment (Sing Sing prison was an example of the Auburn system). Eastern State’s radial floor plan and system of solitary confinement was the model for over 300 prisons worldwide. It was closed in 1971 and is now operated as a museum and historic site.
