prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com
Prisoners, isolated in windowless cells for years in the SHU in Pelican Bay State Prison, courageously began on July 1, 2011 a hunger strike for 5 core human rights demands. The strike, aimed at the abolition of long term solitary confinement and other tortures in CA prisons spread to thousands of prisoners throughout CA and beyond.
Prisoners suspended the strike in late July after CA Dept. of Corrections (CDCR) promised to meet the demands. Prisoners resumed the hunger strike on Sept 26, 2011; the CDCR had made no changes. The prisons are retaliating against hunger strikers-refusing them medication, prohibiting family & lawyer visits, and putting some strikers in SHU cells with no personal belongings. We, outside of prison walls, must amplify the human rights cries of the prisoners who are entombed and isolated, starving to end policies of torture.
The 5 Demands:
1. End Group Punishment & Administrative Abuse -- This is in response to PBSP's application of "group punishment" as a means to address individual inmates rule violations. This includes the administration's abusive, pretextual use of "safety and concern" to justify what are unnecessary punitive acts. This policy has been applied in the context of justifying indefinite SHU status, and progressively restricting our programming & privileges.
2. Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria - * Perceived gang membership is one of the leading reasons for placement in solitary confinement. * The practice of "debriefing," or offering up information about fellow prisoners particularly regarding gang status, is often demanded in return for better food or release from the SHU. Debriefing puts the safety of prisoners and their families at risk, because they are then viewed as "snitches." * The validation procedure used by the CDCR employs such criteria as tattoos, readings materials, and associations with other prisoners (which can amount to as little as greeting) to identify gang members. * Many prisoners report that they are validated as gang members with evidence that is clearly false or using procedures that do not follow the Castillo v. Alameida settlement which restricted the use of photographs to prove association.
3. Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons 2006 Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement -- CDCR shall implement the findings and recommendations ...CDCR SHU facilities as follows: * End Conditions of Isolation. Ensure that prisoners in SHU and Ad-Seg (Administrative Segregation) have regular meaningful contact & freedom from extreme physical deprivations that are known to cause lasting harm. * Make Segregation a Last Resort. Create a more productive form of confinement in the areas of allowing inmates in SHU and Ad-Seg the opportunity to engage in meaningful self-help treatment, work, education, religious, and other productive activities relating to having a sense of being a part of the community. * End Long-Term Solitary Confinement. Release inmates to general prison population who have been warehoused indefinitely in SHU for the last 10 to 40 years (and counting). * Provide SHU Inmates Immediate Meaningful Access to: i) adequate natural sunlight ii) quality health care & treatment, including the mandate of transferring all PBSP- SHU inmates with chronic health care problems to the New Folsom Medical SHU facility.
4. Provide Adequate & Nutritious Food -- cease the practice of denying adequate food, and provide a wholesome nutritional meals including special diet meals, and allow inmates to purchase additional vitamin supplements. * PBSP staff must cease their use of food as a tool to punish SHU inmates. * Provide a sergeant/lieutenant to independently observe the serving of each meal, and ensure each tray has the complete issue of food on it.
5. Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for Indefinite SHU Status Inmates.
Examples include: * Expand visiting regarding amount of time and adding one day per week. * Allow one photo per year. * Allow a weekly phone call. * Allow 2 annual packages per year. * More TV channels. * Allow TV/Radio combinations, or TV & small battery operated radio * Allow Hobby Craft Items. * Allow sweat suits & watch caps. * Allow wall calendars. * Install pull-up/dip bars on SHU yards. * Allow correspondence courses that require proctored exams.
Signed by
Todd Ashker, Arturo Castellanos, Sitawa N. Jamaa (s/n R.N. Dewberry), George Franco, Antonio Guillen, Lewis Powell, Paul Redd, Alfred Sandoval, Danny Troxell, James Williamson, Ronnie Yandell ...and all other similarly situated prisoners
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