Replete with historical photographs and prints, this live-action program documents the story of one institution—Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary.
The documentary illuminates the wider ideas, controversies, and sociopolitical factors that have surrounded crime and punishment since colonial times. Rich in detail and fascinating for its dark history, the program espouses the view that although prisons have never been successful in controlling crime or reforming criminals, America’s prison system continues to expand and take in disproportionate numbers of minorities and the poor. A good starting point for research on the causes of crime and effective ways to attack the problem.
