PELICAN BAY HUNGER STRIKE RESUMES: The Continued Struggle to End Solitary Confinement in California

Join us TODAY for a panel discussion revisiting the recent Pelican Bay Hunger Strikes -- which are set to resume July 8, 2013 -- and California's continued use of extreme isolation in solitary confinement.

>>> 'Tours' of a life-sized model SHU (Secured Housing Unit) cell will be hosted ALL DAY at 198 McAllister Street. <<<

Speakers include:

Charles Carbone, Esq., prisoner rights attorney
Jose Murillo, UC Berkeley student formerly incarcerated in Pelican Bay SHU for 5 years
Terry Kupers, MD, forensic mental health expert
Marie Levin, PHSS Coalition member & family member of current SHU prisoner
Azadeh Zohrabi, JD, Soros Justice Fellow and former HRPLJ co-Editor-in-Chief (2011-2012)

Moderated by UC Hastings Professor Hadar Aviram, creator/author of California Correctional Crisis Blog

Presented by Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity.

Facebook Event Link

Human Rights Hunger Strike in California Prisons (Pt. 1)

Written by Azadeh Zohrabi

On July 1, 2011, inmates in the Security Housing Units (SHU) of Pelican Bay State Prison and Corcoran State Prison began a hunger strike to protest a variety of inhumane policies and practices that take place in these units. A week later the number of hunger strikers reported by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) had peaked at 6,600. These men are joined in hunger and solidarity by hundreds of other men and women on the outside and in other prisons across the country. The unified action is centered around five core demands:

1. End Group Punishment and Administrative Abuse

2. Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria

3. Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons 2006 Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement

4. Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food

5. Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for Indefinite SHU Status Inmates