Major Leaders in Asylum & Prison Reform

One of the most important people in the reform of the asylums was Dorothea Dix (at left). After visiting a house of corrections in Massachusetts, Dix became a voice for voice for social reform. She was upset that mentally ill patients were housed as prisoners and inhumanely treated. Dix wrote to the legislature and convinced them to pass a bill to make changes. Another leader, this time in prison reform, was Alexis de Tocqueville. He was a French writer who came to the U.S. to study the prison system. His findings of physical abuse and isolation of prisoners led reformers to improve the treatment and education of prisoners to become more functional members of society.

Major Leaders