Eastern State Penitentiary: A history of Solitary confinement

Eastern State Penitentiary (1998)

Segregation at Eastern State Penitentiary remained official policy until 1961. While work assignments began to integrate that same year and cellblocks started desegregating in the mid-1960s, labor roles had long been assigned along racial lines. White incarcerated men were more often given jobs that offered better opportunities after release, while Black men worked disproportionately in food service. Explore the complex relationship between incarceration and the Civil Rights Movement in our Find

While Eastern State Penitentiary was originally built for men, women were also incarcerated here until 1923. Today, the historical record reveals very little about the women who lived inside the prison. Aside from occasional mentions in the Warden’s Daily Journal or the Descriptive Registers, their experiences were rarely documented. Throughout March, explore Women and the Justice System at Eastern State through a Women’s History self-guided tour or public tour and learn more about the challenge