Alerts

We received a letter from Todd Ashker, one of the hunger strike leaders at Pelican Bay, dated July 24th, 2011. He says the hunger strikers are giving the CDCR 2-3 weeks from July 20th to come up with some substantive changes in response to their five core demands. If the CDCR does not follow through, prisoners at Pelican Bay plan to go back on hunger strike. Todd writes:

The Attorney General of the United States manages the Department of Justice, of which the Bureau of Prisons is a part. For the next two days, we ask supporters to contact Attorney General Eric Holder. Whether for a week, a month, a year, or 10 years... Solitary Confinement is Torture! Solitary is cruel and unusual and was recognized as such by the U.S. Supreme Court a century ago. Express your concern about the impact of solitary on the health of Leonard Peltier, a 66-year-old man in poor health.

by Stephen Lendman 
Monday Jul 25th, 2011 12:48 AM

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Adalah and Physicians for Human Rights/Israel (called Mezan et al below) June 2011 report headlined, "Solitary Confinement of Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Prisons" explains harsh and abusive conditions they endure. 

For so-called "security prisoners," treatment is especially brutal because of extreme restrictions, including when out of isolation. It affects everyone physically and emotionally, notably after long periods with no human contact. 

Hours after announcing an end to the hunger strike at the maximum security lockup Pelican Bay, California corrections officials acknowledged more than 500 inmates continue to refuse meals at three other state prisons.