ESP

Two weeks ago I went to the Eastern State Penitentiary with my English class. It was sort of an overcast and cloudy day, which only lended to the omninous structure of the penitentiary. It was really eerie, but to an extent beautiful in it's decay. I forget the term that was used, but basically they aren't encouraging it's decline, but they aren't maintaining the upkeep either. So the interior was really rusty and eroding, and it just gave the whole place an even creepier feel. I had to write a short paper on it, so I won't geek out on all the facts, but the whole concept behind the penitentiary is really bizarre. The Quaker's wanted to create a system for more humane imprisonment, in contrast to the flogging, branding, and stock system currently in place at that time. The penitentiary was designed so that the inmates would be in total solitary confinement, 24/7. The only human interaction they received was from the jailer. This was supposed to give them plently of time to reflect and become "penitent" about their criminal acts. Personally, I think it's just as inhumane as the old system, because seeing the place for yourself it's not hard to imagine the insanity that solitary confinement must have induced. Personally, I definitely would not have been able to handle it.

Al Capone's Cell!