Chiulli 1

Kate Chiulli

Professor Babcock

English 137H

17 November 2023

The Shift in Unethical Research Conducted on Prisoners

Link to recording: https://psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Take+4+%28Final+Version

%29/1_bomonsup

Link to PowerPoint: TED PPT.pptx

Oral Content Visual Content

Topic: The shift from the exploitation of

prisoners in research experiments to the
protection of their rights.

Purpose: To show how prisoners were once

used in unethical research experiments
because they were viewed poorly, but now
ideologies have changed, and they are no
longer taken advantage of due to new laws
and legislations.

Introduction
A. “Excessive bail shall not be Slide One: Constitution background with 8th
required, nor excessive fines Amendment text on screen (to emphasize how
imposed, nor cruel and unusual unethical experiments contradicted 8th
punishments inflicted” (US Amendment) (American Battlefield Trust)
Constitution, 8th Amendment)
B. But wouldn’t you consider
being injected with live cancer
cells cruel and unusual
punishment?
 Or being exposed to
radioactive isotopes?
C. These were just a few of the
unethical experiments
conducted on prisoners during
the 1900s
D. During this time, prisoners had
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few rights and were easily

taken advantage of
E. Prisoners were used as subjects
for dangerous and unethical
experiments
I. Thesis: It is due to the influence of
World War 2 that ideologies
surrounding prisoners started to
shift and prisoners were safe from
exploitation in research.

Body
I. Medical research on prisoners did not Slide Two: “These Men Didn’t Take their
become commonplace until the onset Atabrine” warning (to show importance of
of World War 2 (1940s). (The new medications for US troops) (Science
National Commission for the Photo Library)
Protection of Human Subjects of
Biomedical and Behavioral Research)
A. Prisoners participated in
studies to help test drugs for
the US army
 Anti-malarial drugs
 Prisoners seen as patriotic
—but people weren’t
aware of what was going
on behind the bars
 Prisoners had to maintain a
106-degree fever for five
days before being treated
(Miller)
B. Albert Kligman experiments at Slide Three: Prisoners being experimented on
Holmesburg Prison at Holmesburg Prison (to show how unethical
 Applied toxic dioxins those experiments were) (Urbina)
and herbicides to
prisoners’ skin
 Quote: “All I saw
before me were acres
of skin.” – Kligman
only saw prisoners as
valuable for research,
not as actual human
beings (Goodman)
II. A number of issues with the prison
system led prisoners to be easily Slide Four: Table from 1997 with statistics
exploited for research. about high school completion circled (to show
A. No informed consent that prisoners often did not complete high
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 In 1997, nearly half of school) (Gostin et al.)

all prisoners had not
completed high school
 Poor reading/writing
skills—prisoners can’t
read or understand
research contracts
(Gostin et al.)

B. Motivation by pay
 In 2016, nearly 40% of
prisoners were paid Slide Five: Table from 2016 with statistics
nothing for work, and about prisoners’ pay (to show how little
60% were paid very prisoners earn and why studies may be
low wages enticing to join) (Wang)
 There was significant
enticement to join
studies that promised
hundreds (or
thousands) of dollars
for participation
(Wang)

III. It was only due to the sentiment

influenced by German
experimentation during WW2 that
legislation was passed to prevent the
exploitation of prisoners in research.
A. Nuremberg Code (1947)
 Result of horrific Nazi
experiments
 Saltwater experiment Slide Six: Saltwater experiments (to show
atrocities of Nazi experimentation) (National
 Freezing experiment
Archives and Records Administration)
 Code mandates that
Slide Seven: Freezing experiments (to show
subjects must consent
atrocities of Nazi experimentation)
to research
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz)
B. Ideologies found their way to
America
Slide Eight: Prison background with Common
C. “Common Rule” devised by
Rule on screen (to emphasize how prisoners
Department of Health and Human
are safe from exploitation in research)
Services in 1978 lists acceptable
(Zacharias)
studies for federally-funded
prisoner research
 1) Study of possible causes
and effects of incarceration
 2) Research on diseases
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primarily affecting
prisoners
 3) Research on practices
that have the intent and
reasonable probability of
improving the health of the
subject
 No other types of
experiments can be
conducted on prisoners
(US Department of Health
and Human Services)

Conclusion
I. Although the prison system has
much left to be reformed, it is
thanks to ideology changes of
WW2 that prisoners are no longer
used unethically as research
subjects.
 Prisoners went from being
viewed as sub-human
sacrifices for dangerous
experiments to human
beings worthy of life and
respect
II. The next step is to address the
problems with the prison system,
providing prisoners with adequate
pay and medical treatment
III. Being imprisoned doesn’t take
away your humanity

Works Cited
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American Battlefield Trust. “The Constitution of the United States.”

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/constitution-united-states.

Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz. “A Victim of a Nazi Medical Experiment.” Holocaust

Encyclopedia, 1942, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/photo/a-victim-of-a-nazi-

medical-experiment.

Goodman, Howard. “Studying Prison Experiments Research: For 20 Years, a Dermatologist Used the

Inmates of a Philadelphia Prison as the Willing Subjects of Tests on Shampoo, Foot Powder,

Deodorant, and Later, Mind-Altering Drugs and Dioxin.” Baltimore Sun, 21 July 1998,

www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-07-21-1998202099-story.html.

Gostin, Lawrence O., et al. Introduction: Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Prisoners.

National Academies Press, 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19875/.

Miller, Franklin G. “The Stateville Penitentiary Malaria Experiments: A Case Study in Retrospective

Ethical Assessment.” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, vol. 56, no. 4, 2013, pp. 548–567,

doi.org/10.1353/pbm.2013.0035.

National Archives and Records Administration. “Romani (Gypsy) Victim of Nazi Medical

Experiments.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, 1944,

encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/photo/victim-of-nazi-medical-experiments.

Science Photo Library. “Malaria Drug Warning, World War II Art Print.” Fine Art America,

fineartamerica.com/featured/malaria-drug-warning-world-war-ii-science-photo-library.html?

product=canvas-print.

The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral

Research. “Report and Recommendations: Research Involving Prisoners.” National Institutes of

Health, 1 October 1976, videocast.nih.gov/pdf/ohrp_research_involving_prisoners.pdf.

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Urbina, Ian. “Panel Suggests Using Inmates in Drug Trials.” The New York Times, 13 August 2006,

www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/us/13inmates.html.

US Department of Health and Human Services. “Prisoner Research FAQs.”

www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/guidance/faq/prisoner-research/index.html.

US Department of Health and Human Services. “Subpart C — Additional Protections Pertaining to

Biomedical and Behavioral Research Involving Prisoners as Subjects.” 10 March 2021,

www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/regulations/45-cfr-46/common-rule-subpart-c/

index.html#46.306(a).

Wang, Leah. “The State Prison Experience: Too Much Drudgery, Not Enough Opportunity.” Prison

Policy Initiative, 2 September 2022,

www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/09/02/prison_opportunities/.

Zacharias, Rachel. “How Can Research with Prisoners Be Done Ethically? Q&A with Charles Lidz.”

The Hastings Center, 20 April 2017, http://www.thehastingscenter.org/can-research-prisoners-

done-ethically-qa-charles-lidz/.