United States History
By: Elena Cantwell
The Prison and Hospital Reform
Leaders of Reform
As feminism was on the rise, a woman named Dorothea Dix was seeking more ways to treat the mentally ill and even went as far as to seek National Movement. Because so many new penitentiaries and mental asylums were being built by the states in the 1820's, she strongly believed that there should be more ways to help these people (Brinkley 301). In March of 1841, Dorothea came across a group of mentally ill prisoners in the jail basement and discovered their inadequate treatment. Soon after her discovery, she became an advocate for humane treatment of all prisoners and the mentally ill. By devoting her life to changing the system, she brought awareness to the harsh treatment of criminals that many citizens were not aware of ("The Prison Reform Movement"). Although her work was mainly through hospitals and for the mentally ill, it also helped bring light to many inhumane issues in society. Enoch Cobb Wines and Theodore Dwight both worked to help improve prison conditions (Anderson).
Dorothea Dix
Goals for the Reform Movement
The goals of the prison and hospital reforms were to raise awareness of the inhumanity going on in the different prisons around the country. Before the American Revolution, criminals were punished and threatened with beatings and whippings, some jail time, fines, and even being hanged. After the revolution, Pennsylvania was the first state to realize that this treatment of human beings was cruel and changed their laws, however, many of the other states were slow to follow (Dwyer). The reason Dix devoted so much time and energy to this cause was to ensure that criminals were treated with respect and dignity, as all humans should be ("The Prison Reform Movement"). Reform activists came up with the theory known as "moral treatment", a technique used as therapy for the mistreated mentally insane. Trying to help the mentally ill was one of the most influential reasons of this reform's beginning (Dwyer).
Arguments Used to Defend the Reform Position
In order to defend their beliefs, the activists spread the news about the inhumane treatment of the mentally ill and prisoners to all people who had no idea what was happening. As many people in society disregarded mentally ill patients and criminals, they were shocked to find out about this treatment (Anderson). They claimed that locking people in the basements of jails, giving them no heat and little clothing (as a punishment) was barbaric. Believing that humans deserved more respect and dignity, they fought the system (Dwyer). After realizing that solitary confinement and other methods of containing criminals and mentally ill people had driven many to suicide or other mental breakdowns, this drove many to the realization that the allowance of barbaric treatment needed to be terminated (Prison and Asylum Reform).
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Tranquilizing chair used in the 19th century
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Has This Movement Been Successful?
To some degree, this reform movement was successful, it has become illegal to abuse prisoners or any human being, and there are safety codes and violations in place now to protect the inmates and the mentally insane (Prison and Asylum Reform). The awareness raised through this reform was astounding and there are now 406 psychiatric hospitals in the United States (Fast Facts). The treatment of criminals, in most areas has improved and the violence between inmates has decreased. Although there is still some violence between these people, the cases are rarer than they used to be. Humane treatment is still a relevant issue in the world today, as there are so many crimes committed and around 2.3 million people (yearly) arrested and sent to jail in the Unites States (Criminal Justice). With this many people in jail, there will of course be problems in some places, but as long as there are codes, laws, and standards to make sure that the mentally ill and all prisoners are treated well, the reform was successful.
("The Prison Reform Movement.")
