In the case of United States v. Demko, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal prisoner could not receive additional compensation for injuries sustained while working in prison. The plaintiff, Joseph Demko, was serving time at a federal penitentiary and got injured during his work assignment within the institution. He received benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), but he also sought further damages by filing a tort claim against the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). However, according to FECA's provision stating it is an exclusive remedy for workplace injuries suffered by federal employees including prisoners engaged in any type of labor, this lawsuit was dismissed on appeal. The Supreme Court upheld this decision unanimously ruling that when Congress provided workers' compensation coverage to inmates through FECA they intended it as their sole recourse and did not intend them to have access to FTCA remedies.

In the dissenting opinion for United States v. Demko, Justice Douglas argued that a federal prisoner should be able to sue the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) if injured due to negligence while working in prison. He disagreed with the majority's view that workers' compensation provided an exclusive remedy, arguing it was not applicable since prisoners are not technically employees and do not enjoy typical employment benefits such as minimum wage or union representation. Furthermore, he contended that Congress did not explicitly exclude prisoners from FTCA when drafting it; thus, they should have access to its protections. Lastly, he expressed concern over leaving inmates without legal recourse against negligent acts by prison officials which could potentially lead to abuses of power within prisons.