In the past, male and female prisoners were simply treated as slaves of the state. Wardens had the freedom and discretion to maintain the prisons as they wished. This meant that there was no outside interference. This definition of prisoners was derived from the Ruffin v. Commonwealth (1871). The Supreme Court decided that the deprivation of personal freedoms and rights was the consequence of the crime committed. The prisoners were considered slaves. Additionally, losing citizenship rights meant losing the ability to complain about living conditions (Peak, 2010). Both women and men were subjected to horrific detention conditions, in which living conditions were, fifth, overcrowded and harsh. Often, they were beaten and sexually abused by male guards (Stuart von Wormer & Bartollas, 2011). It was not until the 1960s that a major philosophical shift occurred in the courts regarding prisoners' rights (Peak, 2010). At this point, inmates “now retained all the rights of free citizens, except such restrictions as were necessary for their orderly detention or to ensure the safety of the prison community” (Peak, 2010, p. 261). Inmates do not completely lose constitutional protections and retain their basic rights (Peak, 2010). The other aspect of this progression involves taking gender into account. Even within prisons, gender played a role. According to Dostoyevsky (1864), the treatment given to offenders very much reflects their treatment within society. Over time, single-sex institutions began to be created for both men and women. The administration of women's prisons was under the direction of women. Contemporary corrections has retained many of the aspects that administrators had implemented in women's prisons, including the educational area. Retrieved from http://www.womenandprison.org/motherhood/view/pregnant_in_prison_and_denied_care/Stuart Van Wormer, K. and Bartollas, C. (2011). Women and the Criminal Justice System, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. References Peak, K. J. (2010). Administration of Justice: Police, Courts and Corrections Management, Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Pregnancy-Related Health Care in Jail or Jail. (2008). Retrieved November 30, 2010 from http://www.aclu.org/files/images/asset_upload_file934_26498.pdf Roth, R. (2010). Pregnant, in prison and deprived of care. Retrieved from http://www.womenandprison.org/motherhood/view/pregnant_in_prison_and_denied_care/Stuart Van Wormer, K. and Bartollas, C. (2011). Women and the Criminal Justice System, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.