Corruption of Blood Law and Legal Definition
Corruption of blood is a defunct doctrine and is now considered unconstitutional. It was the traditional English penalty for treason and other high crimes. According to this doctrine the relatives of the person convicted of the crimes could not inherit the property as the "blood" of the accused had been corrupted. The offender was considered civilly dead. If the offender was a noble or gentleman before, he and all his children were made ignoble and ungentle.
