Dorothea Dix visited a Massachusetts jailhouse one day. She discovered that mentally ill people were being housed inside of the jail houses. She fought to free all of the mentally ill into better hands. From 1845-1852 Dorothea persuaded 9 states to set up hospitals for the mentally ill to be helped and treated in.

Major Leaders in Asylum/Prison Reform/ Their Accomplishments

Alexis de Tocquesville, a French writer, visited a United States jail while on a trip to the United States. After taking note that prisoners were physically neglected and isolated for various amounts of time he said, "While society in the United States gives the example of the most extended liberty, the prisons of the same country offer the spectacle of the most complete despotism."