People who have been imprisoned but want to make a dispute regarding the legal conditions of their detention as well as the prevailing conditions therein can choose to obtain assistance from a court and to apply for "writ of habeas corpus."

Writ of habeas corpus basically means in literal terms, "produce the body". It is an order issued by the court and sent to the institution where an individual has been in detention, or to the person in charge of the place of detention, to deliver the detained individual to the particular court which has issued the order. It is customary for state constitutions to make available the writs of habeas corpus. The U.S. constitution moreover provides for this, and firmly prohibits the government from the deferment of writ proceedings.

The citizens are provided with the opportunity to seek help from various courts so as to prevent the government or other agencies from imprisoning them. This is why the writ of habeas corpus is also known as "the Great Writ". The imprisonment of civilians by the police and military without proper charges are actually happening in many countries, with these civilians having no means to dispute their imprisonment or detainment.

Through the writ of habeas corpus, jailed individuals are given the opportunity to receive assistance from an appellate judge and to make sure that such individuals are imprisoned for justifiable charges.