Eastern State Penitentiary: A History

by Paul Kahan, Dr. Richard Fulmer

Overview

The only comprehensive history of one of America's most infamous prisons, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA.

Looming on the horizon like a storm cloud made of stone, the Eastern State Penitentiary spent more than a century as the fortress that both the law-abiding and criminal feared. In this superbly balanced and thoroughly researched volume, Paul Kahan presents the history of this revolutionary penitentiary, from its inception as a model of the revolutionary Pennsylvania System of incarceration in 1829 to the demands for its closure in the wake of ever-increasing violence in 1971. Through tales of spectacular escapes, official corruption, reformation and retribution, Kahan chronicles the tensions that plagued Eastern State since the arrival of its first prisoners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596294035
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Series:	Landmarks
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	556,107
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Paul Kahan is an adjunct professor of history and sociology at Philadelphia University. Dr. Kahan graduated with a BA from Alfred University in 2001, an MA in modern history and literature from Drew University in 2004 and, most recently, a PhD in American history from Temple University. He has also worked as an interpreter at the Eastern State Penitentiary, and a site administrator for the Fonthill Museum and the Bucks County Historical Society. He lives in suburban Philadelphia with his son, Alec. This is his first book.