For much of Pennsylvania's early history, very few people from outside the prison system were allowed to see what happened inside correctional facilities — that changed in 1829.
The Act of April 23, 1829 granted members of the Pennsylvania Prison Society the legal authority to visit prisons and jails across the Commonwealth. While the legislation is often remembered for authorizing construction of the Eastern State Penitentiary, it also established something equally significant: independent prison oversight.
Prison Society volunteers began visiting incarcerated people regularly, documenting living conditions, listening to concerns, and recording what they witnessed. Those records, many of which still exist today, provide an insightful window into the history of incarceration in Pennsylvania.
The visits also served another purpose. For many incarcerated people, Prison Society volunteers represented one of the few supportive voices they encountered while behind bars.
Nearly two centuries later, prison monitoring remains central to the Prison Society's mission.
Today, our monitors continue visiting every state prison and county jail in Pennsylvania, documenting conditions, identifying concerns, and sharing those findings with correctional leaders and policymakers. Independent oversight creates transparency, strengthens accountability, and helps protect the health, safety, and dignity of incarcerated people.
