Let the Doors Be Made of Iron: 19th-Century Prison Reform:VIDEO, This Academy Award-nominated program uses dramatic eenactments, old lithographs, and photographs to trace the fascinating history of the world’s first full-scale penitentiary—Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia.Conceived as a humane alternative to the overcrowding and debauchery of smaller jails, the prison’s fortress-like design and policy of separate confinement and meaningful labor became the correctional model for prisons worldwide.

Criminology

Let the Doors Be Made of Iron: 19th-Century Prison Reform

This Academy Award-nominated program uses dramatic eenactments, old lithographs, and photographs to trace the fascinating history of the world’s first full-scale penitentiary—Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia. Conceived as a humane alternative to the overcrowding and debauchery of smaller jails, the prison’s fortress-like design and policy of separate confinement and meaningful labor became the correctional model for prisons worldwide. Important events in the prison’s history are detailed, including the arrival of its first prisoner in 1829, and a visit by its only detractor—Charles Dickens. This is an interesting historical window on an early experiment in the humane treatment and rehabilitation of criminals. (23 minutes)

Copyright date: ©1987

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VIDEO

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DVD