Dorothea Dix was a well known woman around the Boston Area. She had a passion for teaching, and loved helping others. When she was offered a position at a jail as the weekly Sunday school teacher, she accepted. On her first day at the jail,  Dorothea saw the awful conditions these inmates were living in. They were chained to the wall, locked up in crowded cages, children suffering next to grown men, and the shortage of food that the prison had. 

It is recorded that many of the prisoners were just imprisoned because they could not pay their debt. 

Another type of inmate that you would typically find living in these harsh conditions would be the "insane". These inmates were beaten and whipped for their behavior. Yet their problem was a mental illness. 

Later after visiting many other prison, Dix wrote a report to the state legislature describing the horrible conditions. Outraged by her report, the legislature voted on creating mental hospitals for the ill. Dix did not stop there. Dorothea Dix later helped other reforms such as the outlawing of cruel punishments, the discounting of debtors' prisons, and the creation of a juvyvial system created to be perfect for children. Today Dorothea Dix lives and leaves her legacy to make imprisonment equal for all.