Pennsylvania Prison Society
The mission of the Pennsylvania Prison Society is to advocate for a humane, just and restorative correctional system, and to promote a rational approach to criminal justice issues.
The Pennsylvania Prison Society was founded in 1787 by individuals who signed the Declaration of Independence and later drafted the U.S. Constitution — people who were willing to stick their necks out for what they knew was right and just. So, too, did the earliest members of the Prison Society fight the harsh corporal punishments of the day, knowing there was a better way to punish and rehabilitate criminals.
Over the past 225 years, we have continued to fight against mistreatment and warehousing of prisoners, instead understanding that 90 percent of prisoners return to society and that it is important for them to be rehabilitated so that they may reconnect in healthy ways with their communities, repair the harm they have done, and not return to prison.