With nearly two million people in prison and an incarceration rate five times higher than most countries on the planet, the United States is the world\u2019s only carceral superpower. Our nation has a long tradition of \u201cjustice\u201d that is articulated in a cold, calculating and harsh expression of punishment. Despite this history, a counter narrative surrounding imprisonment and punishment in the United States has also existed \u2014 one that is based in reform, repentance, restoration and redemption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quakers in Philadelphia spent decades in the early 19th century protesting harsh prison conditions and ultimately convinced the Pennsylvania Assembly to reform their model of imprisonment. The opening of Eastern State Penitentiary in 1829 marked the beginning of a new model that emphasized how prisoners \u2014 through self-examination and penitence \u2014 could be redeemed. Hence the word \u201cpenitentiary,\u201d which originally envisioned incarceration as a state of penitence that could lead to redemption. It was a model that was praised internationally at the time for its almost monastic nature. Although this approach was later abandoned, attempts to create more humane approaches to imprisonment continue today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n