Social Reforms of America: Early to Mid 19th Century
Prison Refrom
Prison reform back then was an attempt to improve the condition inside prison, aming at a more effective penal system. It focused on the rehabilitation of criminals attempted to counter the tendency of prisons to create more hardened criminals, and on the recognization and the separation of criminals and the patients who had mental illness.
Background Introduction
Instead of the former punishment such as to diplay those who comitted crimes in public, in the early 1800s, prisons were built by many states to keep the criminals away from the potential victims by housing the criminals isolatedly for a period of time, in the hope that they would "lead regular, disciplined lives, reflect on their sins, and perhaps become law-abiding citizens."
In addition, people tended to believe that what caused the misbehaviors was the criminals' family, and that religion was the only way to solve the problem. Thus, prison chaplains were brought in to inspire the criminals and to be their new family.
The condition inside prison was severe. The criminals were conducted through strict methods. For example, some penitentiaries required the prisoners to maintain absolute silence that they were not allowed to communicate. Besides, prisoners were under racial class discrimination.
It was, and still is, widely believed that the policy of keeping prisoners in intense isolation, rather than leading to the spiritual actualization and social reform it intended, induced significant mental illness among many of its prisoners instead. From 1840 to 1890, reports claim the amount of people hospitalized for mental illness leapt from 2,500 to 74,000.
However, the Transcendentalists saw philanthropy in general as a threat to self-reliance.
In addition, people tended to believe that what caused the misbehaviors was the criminals' family, and that religion was the only way to solve the problem. Thus, prison chaplains were brought in to inspire the criminals and to be their new family.
The condition inside prison was severe. The criminals were conducted through strict methods. For example, some penitentiaries required the prisoners to maintain absolute silence that they were not allowed to communicate. Besides, prisoners were under racial class discrimination.
It was, and still is, widely believed that the policy of keeping prisoners in intense isolation, rather than leading to the spiritual actualization and social reform it intended, induced significant mental illness among many of its prisoners instead. From 1840 to 1890, reports claim the amount of people hospitalized for mental illness leapt from 2,500 to 74,000.
However, the Transcendentalists saw philanthropy in general as a threat to self-reliance.
Related Terms
- Asylum: An institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill.
- Rehabilitation, or rehab: The restoration of mental health from criminal behavior.
- Penology: The science of prison administration and rehabilitation of criminals.
- Prison Chaplain: A person who provides Pastoral care and becomes pastor and teacher to the inmates.
- Philanthropy: The practice ofhelping the poor and those in need, especially by giving money.
Result and Impact
Dorothea Dix toured prisons in the U.S. and all over Europe looking at the conditions of the mentally handicapped. Her ideas of better treatment to the mental ill patients led to a mushroom effect of asylums all over the United States in the mid-19th-century.
