California prisoners continue hunger strikes in second month

Hundreds of inmates at California prison have entered the second month of their hunger-strike against inhumane conditions in solitary confinement.

An estimated 400 inmates in high security solitary confinement cells are refusing to eat until the prison improves their situation as some have been hospitalized after reaching the dangerous point where their body has no fat to consume, according to The Guardian.

Once the body fat is eaten up in absence of food, extreme hunger strike leads to consumption of body muscles which doctors say is an irreversible damage.

The inmates’ main demand is to end indefinite solitary confinement in Security Housing Units, known as SHUs as some of the prisoners have been in such cells for decades.

Amnesty International and other human rights groups have reprimanded the indefinite confinements in California prison.

The strike leaders, which are a unity of white, African American and Latino inmates, say their conditions amount to torture. Authorities reject their demands calling their bid an effort to empower gang leaders in prison. There is little or no sign of negotiation between the two.

The inmate hunger strike started on July 8th with more than 30-thousand inmates participating. It is now the largest and longest hunger strike in the history of California prisons.

Billy Sell, a California prison inmate, died in solitary confinement while on a hunger strike in late June, while the prison officials announced the death to be a suicide.

Activists of Hunger for Justice in Los Angeles went on fasting last week to show solidarity with those affected by the inhumane treatment in US prisons.

There are 122,000 inmates in California’s 33 state prisons while four of the state jails – Pelican Bay, Corcoran, Folsom and Tehachapi – have the special security SHU units.