Justice 101: Faith, Reentry, and Prison Reform

Name: Justice 101: Faith, Reentry, and Prison Reform
Start: 2026-05-27T17:30:00-04:00
Location: 2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 19130

Schedule

Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 05:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 19130 | Philadelphia, PA

wo hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence proclaimed liberty as both a right and a responsibility, communities across the nation continue to wrestle with how justice, accountability, forgiveness, and restoration are lived in practice.
Join us for a powerful discussion on freedom of religion in America. Michael Moreland, J.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Law and Religion & Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Villanova University), will set the stage for an interfaith dialogue on faith, reentry, and prison reform. The discussion will bring together faith leaders from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, including Quaker voices whose tradition helped shape early ideas about incarceration and rehabilitation at Eastern State.
Imam Quaiser Abdullah, Ph.D. (Director of the Mayor’s Office of Muslim Engagement in the City of Philadelphia), Damone B. Jones Sr., DMin (Senior Pastor, Bible Way Baptist Church), Yehuda Pryce, DSW, LCSW (Psychotherapist; Senior Director of National Mental Health and Well-Being Programs, Defy Ventures), and Lewis Webb Jr. (U.S. Peacebuilding Director, American Friends Service Committee) will examine how various faith traditions have shaped American approaches to rehabilitation, moral responsibility, and reintegration since the nation’s founding. Moderated by Kerry Sautner, Ed.D. (President and CEO, Eastern State).
Rooted in Eastern State’s Semiquincentennial theme, A Time for Liberty, this conversation situates faith communities as enduring civic institutions, places where people returning from incarceration find belonging, support, accountability, and pathways to rebuilding their lives. From abolitionist movements and prison chaplaincy to modern reentry advocacy and restorative justice initiatives, the dialogue will explore how faith traditions continue to influence public life, public policy, and the evolving meaning of justice in American democracy.
This evening brings together civic, faith, and community leaders committed to building more humane, restorative systems of justice.
This event is presented as part of Lecture250—a series of free, public educational lectures related to Pennsylvania and Declaration of Independence-Era History. Made possible by a grant from America250PA.
This event is also presented as part of The Aaron Reichlin Restorative Justice and Faith Conversations. Made possible by a generous grant from the Reichlin and Tuck Families.