Dorothe Dorothea Dix: Prisoner Reform

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Prisoner reform is a crucial issue today which has yet to reach its full impact on the minds and lives of voters. However, with every passing year the importance of this topic becomes more evident. Since the eighties, every passing year has brought more pressure for harsher and longer imprisonment and more streamlined mandatory sentencing rules. The earliest prisons were local township jails that were seen as housing facilities for those waiting on trial. When someone was convicted they were either executed, banished or tortured. This has not only resulted in an exploding prison population, but also in a drastic increase in the number of prisoners released into communities. Additionally, the push towards stronger measures has decreased educational opportunities in prisons and the availability of rehabilitation programs. This means that released prisoners are unable to reintegrate into their communities. …show more content…

Dorothea visited jails and documented how bad prisoners got treated. From lack of food to poor medical health care. Dorothea noticed all these things and wanted to see a change. She sent her documents to the Massachusetts legislature while changes did not come right away she kept pushing for a change until she saw improvements. Dix ended up opening up 32 mental hospitals. Documentation was not the only movement method people also protested for better health care and more rights for the mentally ill.
However, merely making government money available to private, religious, or state-based programs is not enough. These funds are only likely to reach a minority of prisoners who are already being aided by the aided programs. Prisoners whose communities and systems do not already take measures to help their rehabilitation will not be seeing any increase in re-entry programs or

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