Nevada Prisoners Call Strike Over Food, Abuse and Solitary

In early December of last year a hunger strike was called at Ely State Prison, joined by at least 39 prisoners at the start and fluctuating over the following weeks. A prison advocacy group, Return Strong, represented the prisoners’ demands as follows:

1. End the continued and extended use of solitary confinement, lockdowns, modified lockdowns, and de facto solitary confinement.
2. End correctional abuse.
3. End group punishment and administrative abuse.
4. Address due process interference and violation in the grievance process.
5. Provide adequate and nutritious food.
6. Address health and safety concerns in all Nevada facilities and provide resolution status to them.

In response, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) ignored several of the demands, calling them “false,” (2) but addressed some of the concerns related to food and administrative handling of punishments. Lower-level sanctions that result in loss of privileges will now run concurrently instead of consecutively, and Aramark, the food vendor, is being questioned about the portion sizes. Even the head of the local prison guards union mentioned that they’d noticed the portions shrinking recently.(1) Aramark has faced repeated legal challenges regarding its poor food from prisons across the country (3), so the fact that it’s now squeezing portion sizes in Nevada doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.

Some of the more serious allegations NDOC ignored include food being stolen from prisoners by staff, the existence of no-camera “beat-up rooms,” collective punishment and indefinite 23-hour lockdowns excused by laying the blame on “staffing issues,” and the de facto suspension of programming for many prisoners.(4)

Prisoners at Ely State Prison voluntarily suspended the strike after four weeks and the adjustment of some of the handling of administrative sanctions were addressed.(5) We didn’t receive any info from inside or outside coordinators about how/why the strike ended, just that it did. If any of our readers can provide insight we’d appreciate it.

<sup>Notes: 1. Cristen Drummond, “Inmate advocacy group shares list of prisoner demands on hunger strike,” KNSV Las Vegas, December 6th 2022.
2. NDOC, “NDOC Leadership Responds to Hunger Strike,” December 9, 2022.
3. https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/aramarks-correctional-food-services-meals-maggots-and-misconduct/
4. Naoka Foreman, “Advocates: Nevada inmates on hunger strike to protest food quality, prison conditions,” The Nevada Independent, December 8th, 2022.
5.  Sabrina Schnur, “Hunger strike at Ely State Prison ends,” Las Vegas Review-Journal December 30, 2022.</sup>