There were also houses of reform for juveniles. Normally, families were responsible for disciplining children. By the 1870s, there were over 50 reform schools across the country, except for the south and the Great Plains. Their goals were to fix "wayward" and "lower class" children through strict discipline and labor. This was also in need of reform because many claim the corporal punishment and long isolation were often to blame for children's character as they grew older.

In many prisons, such as the East Cambridge prison, many women lived in unsanitary and unseated cells. Most had diseases, overcrowding, mismanagement, and no running water. Southern inmates were also overworked. The convict leasing system was also in use. Private business owners could "rent" the prisoners. They were forced to work in harsher conditions than slavery. When co-ed prisons were introduced, many rapes, assaults, and pregnancies were introduced.

Reasons for Reform Continued: