Seminary of Virtue—The Ideology and Practice of Inmate Reform at Eastern State Penitentiary, 1829-1971

Drawn from the author's doctoral dissertation, this monograph on education in US prisons examines the long history of the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and explores the evolving character of educational programs and their relationship to philosophies of incarceration and inmate reform. The work covers a broad time period and documents the shift from moral and religious instruction intended for the reform of prisoners in the early nineteenth century to a medicalized vision of rehabilitation at the turn of the century, to more modern efforts at vocational and remedial education. Kahan is a historian and the author of Eastern State Penitentiary: A History. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Paul Kahan is an award-winning educator and historian specializing in the history of American education, the history of American corrections, diplomatic history, and Pennsylvania history. He is best known for his previous book, Eastern State Penitentiary: A History. Dr. Kahan has been a featured guest on numerous television programs, including PA Books and the Mystery 360.