In 1831, French writer Alexis de Tocqueville had visited the United States to observe it's prison system.
He observed prisoners that were physically punished or isolated for extended periods.
Dorothea Dix was compelled to join the movement from personal experience.
When she visited the Massachusetts house of correction she realized that jails housed mentally ill people.
Prison reformers emphasized the idea of rehabilitation which is treatment that could reform the sick or imprisoned people to a useful position in society.

Asylum/Prison Reform