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Thousands of inmates in California prisons have resumed a hunger strike that began in July and was suspended over the summer. The historic strikes began on July 1st at the Pelican Bay State Prison’s Secure Housing Unit or SHU in protest of inhumane conditions after years of failed legal and other challenges. When representatives of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) acquiesced to considering some of the prisoners’ demands, the strike was suspended after nearly a month. The prisoners have five core demands for the CDCR, articulating very clear and specific solutions that would be consistent with prisoner health, safety, and dignity. These include complying with the 2006 US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons. The CDCR’s reluctance to meet the prisoners’ demands has led to the strike’s resumption. It has been reported that the CDCR circulated a memo calling for disciplining inmates who miss nine consecutive meals. Meanwhile, two of the attorneys representing the hunger strikers, Marilyn McMahon, and Carol Strickland, have been temporarily banned from visiting all state institutions because they are under investigation for allegedly violating “laws and policies.” While the prisoner hunger strike garnered much media attention in July, there is scant coverage since its resumption.

GUEST: Dorsey Nunn, Executive Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and a member of the strike mediation team.

Find the latest information about the prisoner hunger strike at http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com