Freeeeeeeeeeedom

Factoid: my favorite movie is Braveheart.

Visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary was a lot of fun. The architecture and design were revolutionary, and it was the world's first penitentiary (penitentiary, we learned, means a place where prisoners learn penitence, or have time to reflect on what they did in order to change their lives). Eastern State's early philosophy was to isolate prisoners into cell blocks and not allow them to talk. They could go out in their "exercise" room behind their cell for two half hours each day. Besides that, they never left their cell. Talking was not allowed, and guards even wore socks on top of their shoes to muffle the sound of walking! I couldn't take it.

Al Capone served his first sentence in prison at Eastern State, when cops pulled him over on his way to Chicago from Atlantic City with several loaded guns. We heard stories of escapes, riots, smuggling, sports, and daily life behind bars. It made me decide to never go to jail. I took a bunch of pictures. Check them out!

What made the trip even more timely is that Sarah and I had just watched the Shawshank Redemption less than a week ago. It's her favorite movie, and I really enjoyed it too. Watching that flick, then walking through an actual prison made both experiences much more memorable. A good reminder about how experiential learning can be so good for students!