Since the beginning of the division of society into a hierarchy of man's importance, the bottom of the social pyramid has always been the one considered devoid of morality. Whether immoral qualities were synonymous with skin color or occupation, a perceived lack of moral integrity allowed those of higher stature to sometimes impose grueling oppression on the degraded. As society evolved, many advancements pushed towards equality among the masses so that every man or woman was allowed the freedom of prejudice or judgment. However, no matter how advanced the human race has become, a hierarchy still exists, and at the lowest level are the prisoners. Prisoners in modern times are often seen as morally deficient and depraved monsters who deserve the worst of punishments to repent of their crimes. Consequently, because prisoners occupied the lowest levels of society's class division, history suggests that they had to be subject to the oppression of their proclaimed superiors, the unchained populace. The use of prisoners for medical research has gone from something that was considered appropriate to something unacceptable and inhumane. The use of prisoners for medical research is absolutely ruthless. Forcing someone to undergo experiments for medical research without their informed consent is both illegal and unethical. Medical ethics requires that doctors or pharmaceutical companies conduct their experiments with the informed consent of patients or volunteers, which means that an individual should be fully informed about the potential harm or benefit that the experiments would bring. It makes no sense that such a basic moral principle could be trampled upon, this should be applied equally to both the general public and prisoners, as the latter group, although deprived...... being lured into something they may not want to do. Because prisoners are so easily accessible, the benefits of research can be large and be better controlled. This presents a strong temptation for the government and corporations who see huge potential profits in prison research. This can lead to circumvention of laws and, as has happened in the past, prisoners may well be treated like experimental animals. All in all, using prisoners as research subjects is one of the most immoral and unethical issues of our time. The issue began in the 1940s, and when opposition to these actions began in the 1960s, new regulations came into force that made the issue a little more, but not entirely, acceptable. The use of prisoners in medical research is about exploitation and profit, and this heinous activity contributes to the corruption of healthcare in our country.