The historic Eastern State Penitentiary is more than a former prison-turned-museum and occasionally haunted house — it’s also an educational hub in Philadelphia to stay informed about the criminal justice formula and mass incarceration. With its new virtual discussion series, Justice 101, the organization is expanding its programming to the rest of the country.
Justice 101 comes from the Judicial Education Center at the historic site. Since 2012, the former criminal has organized exhibitions, tours, and educational programs on the modern justice system, starting with The Searchlight Series, monthly meetings held at the penitentiary.
From exhibitions like The Big Graph and events like Reentry Simulator, Eastern State has experimented with other formats. However, Justice 101 will take place virtually on Zoom. Sessions are flexible, but participants are asked to register on the Eastern State website.
“One thing that makes Justice 101 unique from these other offerings is its national reach,” said Kerry Sautner, president and CEO of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. “Because the program takes place virtually, we are able to convene expert guest speakers and attendees from all around the country.”
Friday, Jan. 19, will mark the start of the Justice 101 series, with a program titled “A Conversation on Civil Rights Movements in Prisons with Hasan Jeffries. “
Jeffries is a professor at Ohio State University, and Sautner will moderate the discussion. After a 30-minute dialogue, a Q&A consultation will allow participants to ask their own questions of the speaker. The program starts at 12 noon.
While this first program will take place the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the verbal exchange between Jeffries and Sautner will focus on the “complexities of civil disobedience as a force for transformative social change. “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will talk about how civil disobedience and incarceration intertwine and communicate about civil rights leaders who were incarcerated and imprisoned and later became civil rights figures.
In addition to teaching, Jeffries hosted the Southern Poverty Law Center’s podcast “Teaching Hard History,” about classes that aren’t taught in school, ranging from slavery to the civil rights movement to the present day. He was also featured last year in the PBS documentary “Fight the Power,” about the history of hip hop and how it reflects reports from Black and brown communities in the United States.
Subsequent programs, the Justice 101 series, will follow a similar format to the first session, with a special guest leading the moderated verbal exchange through a member of Eastern State. Those who can’t attend those live discussions can watch them later on Eastern State’s YouTube. channel.
For Sautner, the virtual format is about accessibility. ” Our goal is to offer national programming, and the realization of Justice 101 makes that virtually achievable,” he said. “Justice 101 is designed to be accessible: it’s suitable for students of all ages; to those affected by the systems, to those who have no connection to the criminal justice system, and to everyone in between. “
Since the series is new, expect to experiment with other schedules, themes, and engagement features as you go along.
For now, Eastern State Penitentiary has programming lined up through May of this year, with monthly programs to continue afterward through the end of the year and beyond. “We have a really exciting lineup of Justice 101 programs coming up this winter and spring, convening national experts for thought-provoking conversations about policing in America, women behind bars, forced prison labor, and other issues facing the justice system,” said Sautner.
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