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IBTimes12,000 California Prisoners Protest Living Conditions With Inmate Hunger Strike
By IBTimes Staff Reporter | October 4, 2011 10:12 AM EDT
Thousands of inmates confined in California prisons have been engaging in a hunger strike since Sept. 16 in an attempt to call attention to poor prison conditions, particularly the inhumane treatment of inmates who are housed in solitary confinement, according to multiple reports.
The strike is the continuation of a previous strike in July that was suspended after the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) agreed to a policy review of its solitary confinement cells -- also known as Security Housing Units (SHU) -- and offered to provide inmates with warm hats, wall calendars and watch covers.
Despite the small concession, at least 6,000 prisoners in eight different state prison facilities have once again taken up the cause, claiming the CDCR did not address their five core demands, according to a Sept. 30 report from the Los Angeles Times. However, on Saturday the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity (PHSS) reported that nearly 12,000 inmates, including some housed out of state in prisons located in Arizona, Mississippi and Oklahoma, are participating in the hunger strike.
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http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/224733/20111004/california-prisoner-hunger-strike-12-000-prisoners.htm