Eastern State Penitentiary Welcomes Presidential Hopefuls For Town Hall-Style Event On Criminal Justice Reform
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Eastern State Penitentiary in Fairmount will take center stage Monday afternoon and it's not because of its Terror Behind the Walls Halloween Tour. It has become known for its exhibit on mass incarceration rates, which is why one group has chosen the facility to hose a presidential forum.
The town hall-style event will take place inside the historic facility with a focus on criminal justice reform.
The event is organized by Voters Organized to Educate and it will be held in the middle area of the prison where all of the cell blocks meet.
The museum's big graph, which is a 16-foot-tall exhibit on the prison's baseball field, will be a focal point of the discussion, as it breaks down the massive growth of incarceration rates in the U.S.
There are several exhibits throughout the penitentiary, as Eastern State is now committed to mass-incarceration education.
Monday's event is not open to the public. It will be attended by about 100 people who have either been incarcerated or have been impacted by the justice system.
Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker, and businessman Tom Steyer will be attending the event.
In 2012, Eastern State Penitentiary began using more exhibits to emphasize high incarceration rates throughout the U.S.
Monday's presidential candidate town hall will take place at 1 p.m., and the penitentiary will be closed to the public.
