Prison Strike: Week 3

A prison strike against slave labor, which is entering its third week, has spread to at least 46 prisons and jails, according to the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee.

Lockdowns, inmate suspensions, and full-unit strikes lasting at least 24 hours were reported at 31 facilities, housing approximately 57,000 incarcerated people.

Restrictions on prisoner communication and a lack of transparency in corrections departments make information on the strikes hard to obtain. Much of what is known was smuggled out through a grapevine of family, friends, and advocacy groups, as well as clandestine prisoner communications, like contraband cell phones and social media accounts.

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While local news outlets report prison administrators have seemingly held back from punishing resisting prisoners, organizers say there has been ongoing retaliation.

It’s Going Down is now reporting that prisoners at Holman may be renewing their action after an incident with guards. An anonymous prisoner sent them a message, which read, “Just ten minutes ago members of the riot team and warden entered c dorm and attempted to confiscate a cellphone from a prisoner and whole c dorm rose up and forced them out of c dorm.”

The prisoner indicated that prisoners at Holman have felt the solidarity being shown on the outside, and that guards are quitting and refusing to work amid a staffing crisis at the facility.

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One volunteer was able to learn of partial lockdowns at Arizona State Prison Complex Yuma and Douglas. But the volunteer said, “Nearly every prison I called was immediately suspicious of my call and seemed to have a canned ‘we’re not allowed to share that publicly’ line ready. Most asked me repeatedly who I worked for.”

 [...]

The strike may still be ongoing at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. At the Washington Correctional Center for Women, three women refused to go to their work assignments in the library and were taken to solitary confinement by an emergency response team. They were then sentenced to 20 days in solitary and face reclassification and the possible loss of their jobs.

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Prisoners continue their hunger strike at the Wapun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, some of whom went on strike in June.

  Shadowproof

For other prison updates, check out the full article.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.