The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been under fire for years due to its over crowding and the inhumane conditions that ensued. The Supreme Court finally stepped in on May 23, 2011 and ordered the state to release up to 32,000 inmates. Now the CDCR is facing another crisis that has the potential for the prisons to explode.
On July 1, a group of prisoners went on hunger strike to protest what they called “tortuous and inhumane conditions.” By that weekend, 6,600 prisoners in eleven state facilities had joined, but that number dwindled to 1,700 on July 8. As of July 16, the exact number of inmates still on hunger strike is unknown, as conflicting reports proclaim different numbers.
The hunger strike originally started in the Pelican Bay State Prison’s Security Housing Unit (SHU) when prisoners protested what they described as inhumane treatment, including being held in SHU for an indeterminate amount of time. One prisoner, according to Public Radio station KPCC, has been in SHU for over ten years. Other issues involve being locked up for 23 hours a day, with only one hour of recreation allowed in a small cement exercise yard, lights on in cells 24-hours a day, and constant noise. The prisoners also complained about lack of hygiene, as they are only allowed to shower every three days. Phone call are not allowed, nor are contact visits.
Prisoners in SHU are usually there for committing anything from a violation of prison rules, such as having contraband or disobeying an order from a correctional officer, to a serious crime such as assault on another inmate or on a correctional officer while incarcerated. SHU is basically a prison-within-a-prison, albeit with harsher rules. The harsh rules at Pelican Bay are what prompted the hunger strike that spread throughout other California prisons.
Public opinion on the hunger strike is divided, with some believing that harsh rules should be maintained in SHU, while others believe that inhumane conditions are unacceptable, whether inside of a prison or not.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton issued a statement saying that there will be no policy changes regarding prisoners in SHU who have committed serious crimes while incarcerated, or those who “are involved in organized crime in the SHU.” Medical teams have been sent into SHU areas of prisons with inmates on hunger strike. Reports of deteriorating prisoners have been announced. Some prisoners have refused medical treatment, KPCC reports.
Hunger strikes are non-violent ways of protest and have been used to bring attention to issues throughout history. Perhaps the most famous hunger strike in modern history was Gandhi’s protest against British rule of India. In 1981, Irish Republican Army prisoners protesting against England’s removal of political prisoner status went on a hunger strike that caught the world’s attention. Although some of the hunger strikers, including, Bobby Sands, were elected to the Irish and British Parliaments in a measure of solidarity by Irish and British constituents, Sands and nine others died . The outcry after the deaths is considered one of the reasons the British government conceded to making partial concessions, resulting in the end of the hunger strike.
The hunger strike of California prisoners started out with an estimated 6,600 participants, but that number fell off sharply after a few days. Hunger strike is a slow way to die. Death can take place within 52 - 74 days, with some people dying earlier or later. The body, in an effort to draw energy, starts to process body fat through the liver after three days. After three weeks the body goes into “starvation mode” and uses muscles and vital organs for energy. At this point, with the loss of bone marrow, the hunger striker’s condition becomes life threatening. Extreme weakness occurs and dementia sets in. Death follows.
Prisons are already a hotbed of raw emotion. There is a strong sense of solidarity between prisoners, and the potential for prisons erupting if a hunger striker dies is very real. Both the CDCR and the leaders of the hunger strike would to well to find common ground to negotiate before this happens. Intransigency on both sides can only lead to disaster, if history is any indication.
Margret Thatcher, Prime Minister of England during the hunger strike of 1981, proclaimed “A criminal is a criminal.” Outraged voices throughout the world responded with “A criminal is a human being.” Perhaps the hunger strikers in California believe that their actions are the only way to bring attention to this fact.
Sources: KPCC and “Ten Men Dead: The Story of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike” by David Beresford
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