Prison Organizing: Hunger Striking

Contextual note: Prisoners have few expressions of power while in prison - one of the ways in which they can leverage power against administration is by hunger striking. In prison, staff must track who takes their meals and food. Refusing meals - or hunger striking - has administrative consequences for the prison. Collective hunger strikes are often used by prisoners to make gains around prison conditions.

In early April of 2023, the entire fourth floor of Barton Jail began a hunger strike with demands to:

Improve yard time access
Faster mail processing & delivery (this was taking months)
Keep tv channels gained during a previous collective action in 2021, and;
End frequent lockdowns

They were supported through a local prisoner support group, which organized information pickets and call-in campaigns to the jail, and other floors of the jail joined the strike over the course of 4 weeks.

The hunger strike was ended after jail administration promised:

More frequent mail
Formal permission to send mail within the institution
Yard at least 3 times a week
Ability to smudge at least 3 times a week
Change of bedding regularly
Lockup is at 8 instead of 7:30
During lockdown days when they are short staffed, ranges will be out of their cells for half a day, rather than locked up all day. It will rotate between floors
Access to razors and haircutting equipment for haircuts (to look presentable at court)

After 3 months some demands had been met, some had been partially met, and others not yet met.