The three events in US prison history that stand out as key turning points for prisoners’ rights include:
- Dorothea Dix’s petition of 1843.
- The Attica Prison Riot of 1971.
- The case of Cooper v. Pate of 1964.
What are some of the events that led to Prison Reforms?
1. A petition by Dorothea Dix to the Massachusetts legislature in 1843 on the inhumane conditions of the prisoners and mentally ill contributed to the reformations of prisons.
Her petition was the brain behind the 8th Amendment (1791) which prevents cruel and unusual punishment.
2. The Supreme Court in the case, Cooper v. Pate of 1964 pronounced that the Bill of Rights is applicable even inside prisons. In the case, Thomas Cooper, a Muslim inmate alleged that prison officials infringed on his First Amendment rights by denying him access to a Quran while other inmates were allowed to use their religious books.
The Court ruling on the case is referred to in deciding similar religious discrimination claims.
3. The Attica Prison Riot of September 1971 was a four-day revolt by prisoners seeking better living conditions and political rights, claiming that they were treated as beasts. The riot by the inmates resulted in 43 death.
However, it necessitated the New York Corrections Department to make changes in prisons to satisfy some of the prisoners' demands.
Learn more about the 8th Amendment at brainly.com/question/15112256.
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