UPDATE: The most recent info (Dec. 17) says the protest appears to have ended.
---
Details are few and far between, but apparently since Thursday, Dec. 9th, inmates in 6 to 11 Georgia state prisons have refused to leave their cells or do any work in a protest against a variety of conditions, the protest coordinated via cell phones and other social networking methods.
In the last 24 to 48 hours, the media has begun to pay attention and report on the situation, such as the Chattanooga Times Free Press to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The state of Georgia does not pay anything to inmates for work - unlike Tennessee, which pays from 17 to 54 cents per hour to inmates for work they perform.
But inmates claim much more is at stake - including no educational opportunities beyond getting a GED, no skills-training or rehabilitation programs, little exercise, very low nutritional meals, and little, if any, health care.
This is a pretty big story getting very little attention as it affects thousands of inmates and numerous state prisons. Chances are if negotiations don't work soon, the situation could easily become tremendously volatile.
No comments:
Post a Comment