Dorothea Dix was one of the major contributors to the reform movements in the context of prison life. Her visit to one of the prisons was the prime factor that motivated her to work for the betterment of the prison living conditions. Many of the people that Dix found there were suffering from mental disorders and illnesses yet were given the same degree of punishment.
Dorothea Dix strongly gainsaid with this practice and instead declared that people with illnesses should not be treated as criminals but as patients, who needed help. Moreover she also emphasized on the fact that children and adults should not be punished with the same degree for the same offence, as children were very innocent. She endeavored fervently to improve the living standards of the prison throughout the nation and also worked on a state level, managing to convince many states to create hospitals and asylums for all those prisoners who were sick and were suffering from various illnesses.
Dorothea Dix strongly gainsaid with this practice and instead declared that people with illnesses should not be treated as criminals but as patients, who needed help. Moreover she also emphasized on the fact that children and adults should not be punished with the same degree for the same offence, as children were very innocent. She endeavored fervently to improve the living standards of the prison throughout the nation and also worked on a state level, managing to convince many states to create hospitals and asylums for all those prisoners who were sick and were suffering from various illnesses.