American History: Prison and Asylum Reform

Who was Dorothea Dix?

• A superintendent of nurses during the Civil War

• A famous American painter

• The first female governor of Massachusetts

• An inventor of the 19th century

What was the primary purpose of Eastern State Penitentiary's design?

• To rehabilitate prisoners through labor

• To house prisoners in comfortable conditions

• To intimidate prisoners by its appearance

• To serve as a model for modern luxury prisons

What did Dorothea Dix advocate for?

• Women's suffrage

• The independence of the colonies

• Humane hospitals for the insane

• The abolition of slavery

What was Dr. John Galt known for?

• Inventing the telegraph

• Being the first superintendent of a publicly supported psychiatric hospital in America

• Founding the first American university

• Writing the Declaration of Independence

What was a major problem in prisons before reform?

• Too much focus on rehabilitation

• Lack of funding for expansion

• Prisoners were allowed too much freedom

• Overcrowding and atrocious conditions

What was the purpose of juvenile detention centers like the House of Refuge in New York?

• To reform children of delinquent behavior

• To provide education to children

• To train children for military service

• To serve as orphanages

What happened in Auburn Prison in 1821?

• It was destroyed by a fire

• It was the site of a major prison break

• It became a model for successful prison reform

• Many prisoners committed suicide or had mental breakdowns after being locked in solitary

Who was Louis Dwight?

• A famous American novelist

• The inventor of the cotton gin

• A champion of discipline and first national figure in prison reform

• The first president of the United States

What was a revolutionary idea about prisons in the beginning of the 19th century?

• That prisoners should be allowed to govern themselves

• That prisons should only house the most dangerous criminals

• That society had the responsibility for criminal activity

• That prisons should be abolished

What did reformers believe about deviants and prison stays?

• That only physical punishment could reform deviants

• That deviants could change and that a prison stay could have a positive effect

• That prison stays should be as short as possible

• That deviants could not change and prison stays had no positive effect