Ohio State Penitentiary, Youngstown, Ohio
March 16, 2015 – April 15, 2015
Between thirty and forty prisoners went on hunger strike for a month, protesting new restrictions on recreation and group programming for those in solitary confinement. Prisoners alleged that they were being prevented from attending religious services, a right protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Prison officials responded claiming that prisoners are allowed one-on-one religious services. Additionally, a new restriction disallowed the practice of one prisoner leaving their cell and walking through the area between cells.
During the strike, the ACLU called for an independent investigation in conditions at the prison. The strike ended on April 15, after the warden agreed to lift some, but not all, of the restrictions, including allowing group religious services again.
One hunger striker was Siddique Hasan, of the “Lucasville Five,” a group of prisoners convicted and sentenced to death for their involvement in the Lucasville prison uprising of 1993.
Citations:
“ACLU Seeks Probe Amid Hunger Strike at Ohio Supermax Prison”, Telegraph Forum, April 13, 2015.
“At Ohio’s Supermax Prison, A Hunger Strike Ends But Extreme Isolation Remains”, Solitary Watch, April 21, 2015.
“Inmates on Hunger Strike at Supermax”, The Vindicator, March 28, 2015.
