To give inmates a chance to do contemplation, to think, to reform themselves. For prisoners inside, it’s not much different: no freedom, isolated, frustrating, desperate and somehow made the lonely people more aggressive. Even the building itself is decaying, like all these past objects have the structure of enclosure and abuse and falling. These two things (great conditions and to be pentitent) are irrelevant, and may lead people to thinking committing a crime isn't a big deal, because prison isn't too bad anyway. But I could feel the misery and insanity of these place and it was suffocating.

It is very much the same; it is harsh and unforgiving. These wall that used to be crisp white are falling down, the whole structure of the building is decaying. It has all passed. A place of aesthetic beauty from outside. A place of silence and regret from inside. A faint vibe, reminiscent of the true horrific conditions of this institution.

I see a complete disregard for the humanity of the prisoners. Eastern State Penitentiary is the humane and right way to reform criminals. In such a place of fear and loneliness, nothing could evoke their morality when they’re in torture. It's easy for one to think over and reform and contemplate. Conditions for their brains to be warped, and emerge with hatred, anger, and frustration toward the world. Disappointment. Flawed from the start. Unrealistic goals. I am bored this doesn't hold my attention either.

It started out as an attempt to reform individuals but even now the corruption and evolution of corruption is visible in the empty space. No matter, Eastern State as it is now, a true institution of learning, is the best form of itself that has ever been and undoubtedly could ever be. Communication can’t be stopped.

Eastern State Penitentiary was an innovative attempt at changing the very hearts of prisoners, but which failed to take into account the role of kindness. The idea of reforming prisoners rather than just looking them up was revolutionary and enlightening, even though it tended not to work in the practices Eastern State used. It should work cause the nature of human beings is kindness, so as long as they stay alone and contemplate, they will eventually find the way to their true heart. Eastern state penitentiary was for the most part a failure: prisoners found ways to communicate and rebel, and often played or refused the help of their reformers. I am disappointed by the loss of the original mission statement (now they lost the part about isolation), but proud of how it affected other prisons throughout the world. 

below are my selections; more than requested, i know. but--the image, well, it just breaks my heart: that youth.
p. 310 is about gender; so are pp. 103-4, though it’s more intersectional there, as it is on pp. 427-8.
and p. 325 is about language use.
can’t wait to see what y’all pick!

A place of aesthetic beauty from outside. Everyone has some good in them and given the opportunity to reflect on their wrong doings in the penitentiary they could rediscover the good. No cruel punishment so as not to make them feel hated or unaccepted by the society, so that they could return to the society and be decent citizens. 

Is it practical?

A place of silence and regret from inside. Eastern State Penitentiary now looks the way it made the prisoners feel: empty, broken, and alone. For prisoners inside, it’s not much different: no freedom, isolated, frustrating, desperate and somehow made the lonely people more aggressive. The isolation is the punishment actually in this place. I cannot imagine if I stay in such place day by day without talking. It seems prisoners became more like objects to be placed somewhere than people who needed reforming.

Some very interesting happenings in Sweden. Swedish cinemas have created a new rating scale for movies based on the absence of a gender bias. To pass the exam on the Bechdal Scale movies must have two named female characters who talk about something other than a man. This new system has only been in place for a few months, but already movie-goers are surprised at how few films pass the test. "The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, all Star Wars movies, The Social Network, Pulp Fiction and all but one of the Harry Potter movies fail this test," said Ellen Tejle, the director of Bio Rio, an art-house cinema in Stockholm. More about this system can be found at this link.

Solitary confinement was not a situation to be accepted without a fight. Eastern State Penitentiary was an innovative attempt at changing the very hearts of prisoners, but which failed to take into account the role of kindness. The idea of reforming prisoners rather than just looking them up was revolutionary and enlightening, even though it tended not to work in the practices Eastern State used.

The cell is cold and a little bit smelly. I am afraid and do not want to stay any longer at all. The grey walls around me make me feel lonely and constrained. From the outside, one thinks this fortress is strict and organized and is reforming thousands of prisoners. From the inside, the prison is falling apart. Isolation is hard to truly come by, though, if achieved, it does encourage contemplation, which, unfortunately, does not necessarily encourage reform. I cannot imagine the games the mind must play when it only has itself for company.

People here visiting with curiosity, with awe for the idea of penitentiary, don’t know how the inmates’ lives were here.  It was not a luxury to live in it, to be confined to your thoughts.  It is still in no better condition than it was when he was alive, but now that the context has changed, it is looked on with more reverence than it deserves.  It is still very much the same; it is harsh and unforgiving. Even the building itself is decaying, like all these past objects have the structure of enclosure and abuse and falling.  These walls that used to be crisp white are falling down, the whole structure of the building is decaying. It has all passed.  But I could feel the misery and insanity of these places and it was suffocating.  ESP is a decaying island that stands as a reminder of the suffering it caused.

It is thought that Eastern state will be a new kind of prison, one where the prisoners will spend time alone to contemplate their action, and learn to reform their ways. However, from the outside, one thinks this fortress is strict and organized and is reforming thousands of prisoners. From the inside, the prison is falling apart. Things are no longer so organized and officials are doing what they can to keep prisoners under control.

So, to some extent, the reform failed. However, when I visited Eastern state, I had been truly alone that I would have gone crazy like some of the prisoners did, but the people walking by distracted me enough that I could be okay being in the cell--any less than that and I could see how the Quakers expected contemplation on the prisoners’ lives.