For most of our history, prisoners have been considered slaves of state corrections that is prisoners lose all of their rights when sentenced to prison. The Supreme Court rendered this decision in which infamous case?

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In Ruffin v. Commonwealth of Virginia (1871), the Supreme Court ruled that “the convict has, as a consequence of his crime, not only forfeited his liberty, but all his personal rights except those which the law in its humanity accords to him. He is for the time being a slave of the State.” This decision established the idea that prisoners have no inherent rights and can be treated as the state sees fit, setting the stage for decades of abuse and mistreatment of prisoners.

For Most of Our History, Prisoners Have Been Considered Slaves