2010 Georgia prison strike
2010 Georgia prison strike | |
---|---|
Date | December 9–15, 2010 |
Location |
The 2010 Georgia prison strike was a
Background and beginning
The
The prisons involved were:[4]
- Augusta State Medical Prison
- Baldwin State Prison
- Hancock State Prison
- Hays State Prison
- Macon State Prison
- Smith State Prison
- Telfair State Prison
While an exact number was not specified, it was widely reported that several thousand inmates were participating in the strike.[2][3][4][5]
Course of the strike
Following the start of the prison strike, the strikers issued a press release that outlined several demands.[3] The demands, as reported by the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center, included the following demands:[4][6]
- A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK: In violation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, the DOC demands prisoners work for free.
- EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: For the great majority of prisoners, the DOC denies all opportunities for education beyond the GED, despite the benefit to both prisoners and society.
- DECENT HEALTH CARE: In violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, the DOC denies adequate medical care to prisoners, charges excessive fees for the most minimal care and is responsible for extraordinary pain and suffering.
- AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: In further violation of the Eighth Amendment, the DOC is responsible for cruel prisoner punishments for minor infractions of rules.
- DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Georgia prisoners are confined in over-crowded, substandard conditions, with little heat in winter and oppressive heat in summer.
- NUTRITIONAL MEALS: Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in DOC facilities while starches and fatty foods are plentiful.
- VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The DOC has stripped its facilities of all opportunities for skills training, self-improvement and proper exercise.
- ACCESS TO FAMILIES: The DOC has disconnected thousands of prisoners from their families by imposing excessive telephone charges and innumerable barriers to visitation.
- JUST PAROLE DECISIONS: The Parole Board capriciously and regularly denies parole to the majority of prisoners despite evidence of eligibility.
On December 9, in anticipation of the protest, several of the prisons involved were placed on lockdown.[5] While the strike was initially planned as a one-day event, it was extended for several more days after prisoners reported that prison officers at several of the prisons had responded to the strike with violence.[3] On December 15, multiple news sources announced that the strike was over.[7][8] That same day, an article published in ColorLines called it "the largest prison strike in U.S. history."[7] Following the strike action in Georgia, similar large-scale prison strikes were held at prisons in several other U.S. states, including Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington. Several years later in 2016, a nationwide prison strike, referred to as "one of the biggest prison protests in modern history", was held during the 45th anniversary of the Attica Prison riot.[9] In 2018, another nationwide prison strike was held that affected prisons in at least 17 states.[10]
See also
- Incarceration in the United States
- Mobile phones in prison
- Prisoners' rights
- 2018 U.S. prison strike
- 2016 U.S. prison strike
References
- ^ from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Spencer, Naomi (December 13, 2010). "US: Georgia prison inmates strike". World Socialist Web Site. International Committee of the Fourth International. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c "More on GA prison strike (said to be the biggest in U$ history)". San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center. December 13, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Dixon, Bruce A. (December 13, 2010). "Prisoners on strike in Georgia". Socialist Worker. International Socialist Organization. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ Chen, Michelle (December 17, 2010). "Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists". In These Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Hing, Julianne (December 15, 2010). "Georgia Prisoners End Protest, But Continue Demands". ColorLines. Applied Research Center. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ Cook, Rhonda (December 15, 2010). "Prisoners' protest over. For now". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ Kaleem, Jaweed (October 28, 2016). "'This is slavery': U.S. inmates strike in what activists call one of the biggest prison protests in modern history". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ Lopez, German (August 17, 2018). "America's prisoners are going on strike in at least 17 states". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
Further reading
- Chen, Michelle (December 17, 2010). "Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- Chen, Michelle (December 20, 2010). "Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists". The Huffington Post. Archivedfrom the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.