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Eastern State
Penitentiary Museum - Pennsylvania 
(1 vote)Philadelphia, PA
USA
Opened in 1829, this was the world’s first true “Penitentiary,” a prison designed to inspire penitence in the hearts of convicts. Eastern State’s massive, medieval façade stands in stark contrast to it’s church-like interior. The original seven cell blocks spread like spokes on a wheel, and had running water and central heat before the White House. An estimated 250 prisons worldwide have been modeled after Eastern State. This former home of Al Capone and Willie Sutton was closed in 1971. In 1994, this National Historic Landmark was opened for tours.
Submitted 08/22/2007, edited 08/22/2007.
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Jim Thorpe, PA
USA
Built in 1871, The Old Jail Museum was the county jail until 1995 and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Visitors can tour the 28 cells, view the gallows on which four men hanged at one time and see the infamous hand print of Cell 17. PA Prison Society
Support for inmates and familes, news on criminal justice issues, re-entry services and much more. The Pennsylvania Prison Society
The confluence of colonial revolutionary commitment to liberty and Quaker loathing of violence led to the creation in 1787 of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, now called the Pennsylvania Prison Society. For 220 years the Prison Society has advocated on behalf of people in prison and their families. The organization promotes humane and restorative corrections by serving thousands of prisoners, ex-prisoners and their family members each year through direct services and programs, prison visitation, and public education.