Apr. 10: The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits
March 31, 2025
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
2027 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA
and Virtual
In person at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site | 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. — Register here
Online via Zoom | 6:00 – 7:30 pm — Register here.
Join us for an exclusive evening to celebrate the release of The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits, the highly anticipated book by Worth Rises, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it touches.
This book maps the range of ways in which private corporations, often with their government partners, make money off incarceration. It further details the extraction of wealth from incarcerated people and their families, who have been brutalized by overpolicing, mass incarceration, and mass surveillance.
Piper Kerman, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Orange is the New Black, will host a fireside chat between Worth Rises Executive Director, Bianca Tylek and Abolitionist Law Center Executive Director Robert Saleem Holbrook, offering a deep dive into the complex dynamics of the prison industry and its far-reaching consequences on communities. This engaging conversation will also explore how Worth Rises challenges the prison industry and its successes in doing so.
In addition to this powerful conversation, guests attending in person will enjoy food, drinks, and the opportunity to explore the historic site after hours. While tickets are free, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a copy of The Prison Industry when you reserve your in-person ticket.
Event Schedule:
5:30 – 6:00 pm — Welcome & Drinks (in-person)
6:00 – 7:30 pm — Fireside Chat with Q&A (in-person & virtual)
7:30 – 8:30 pm — Food, Drinks, and Mini-Tours of the Historic Site (in-person)
This event is an unmissable opportunity to learn more about the ways the prison system profits at the expense of marginalized communities and explore the transformative work of Worth Rises. Don’t miss this chance to be part of an important conversation about the future of the prison system and how we can work together to change it.