The American Philosophical Society Library holds three volumes recording the admission of prisoners into Eastern State Penitentiary. These admission books include name, crime, sentence, place of origin, race/ethnicity of inmates, as well as comments by the “moral instructor”.

This gallery presents a collection of interactive apps that let researchers explore trends in the admission books. Each app explores a different aspect of the admission data. The first analyzes word frequency in the moral instructor’s notes, the second explores trends in sentencing lengths, and the third reveals demographic information about inmates based on the sentences they were given. The admission books cover the years 1839-1850 with a two-year gap from 1843-1845.