2018 U.S. prison strike

The 2018 U.S. prison strike was a series of work stoppages and hunger strikes[1] in prisons across the United States from August 21 to September 9, 2018.[2] It was one of the largest prison strikes in US history.[3][2] Striking workers demanded improved living conditions, an end to free prison labor, and other prison reforms. The strike was conducted at least partly in response to the April 2018 prison riot at Lee Correctional Institution, which killed seven inmates and was the deadliest US prison riot of the past 25 years.[1]

The start and end dates of the strike were chosen to coincide with the shooting of George Jackson during an escape attempt on August 21, 1971 and with the Attica Prison riot on September 9, 1971.[1]

Strike participants and leaders were punished with solitary confinement, loss of communication privileges, and prison transfers.[4][5][6] By 2019, none of the strikers' demands had been met.[7]

  1. ^ a b c Kennedy, Merrit (August 21, 2018). "Inmates Plan To Hold Weeks-Long Strike At Prisons Across U.S." NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  2. ^ a b Neufeld, Jennie (22 August 2018). "Why the 2018 prison strike could be "one of the largest" in US history". Vox. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  3. ^ Suresh, Susmitha (2018-08-22). "National Prison Strike 2018 Largest In US History". International Business Times. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  4. ^ Pilkington, Ed (August 21, 2018). "US inmates stage nationwide prison labor strike over 'modern slavery'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Fryer, Brooke (September 5, 2018). "US inmates sent to solitary confinement over 'prison slavery' strike". NITV News. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  6. ^ Lartey, Jamiles (September 1, 2018). "US inmates claim retaliation by prison officials as result of multi-state strike". The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).