Penal labor dispute in Georgia, United States
2010 Georgia prison strike
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Date
| December 9?15, 2010
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Location
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The
2010 Georgia prison strike
was a
prison strike
involving
prisoners
at 7
prisons
in the
U.S.
state of
Georgia
. The strike, organized by the prisoners using contraband
cell phones
, began on December 9 and ended on December 15. It was reported at the time to be the largest prison strike in United States history and was followed by similar strikes in several other states, as well as nationwide strikes several years later, in
2016
and
2018
.
Background and beginning
[
edit
]
The
labor strike
was organized by
prison
inmates
over the course of several months in 2010 using contraband
cell phones
, with
The New York Times
claiming that the strike may be the first instance of cell phones being used to organize a
grassroots
protest of this nature in prisons.
[1]
Several inmates with cell phones had called
The New York Times
and said they had learned about the planned strike through
text messages
and were unaware of who exactly were behind it.
[2]
American prison activist
Elaine Brown
called the strike an "organic effort" by the inmates.
[2]
The strike, involving 7 prisons in the state,
[1]
[3]
officially began on December 9, 2010, with inmates refusing to work and many refusing to leave their cells.
[2]
According to an article published in
The New York Times
, the prisoners "would not perform chores, work for the
Corrections Department
’s industrial arm or shop at prison
commissaries
until a list of demands is addressed, including compensation for their work, more educational opportunities, better food and sentencing rules changes."
[1]
The prisons involved were:
[4]
While an exact number was not specified, it was widely reported that several thousand inmates were participating in the strike.
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
Course of the strike
[
edit
]
Following the start of the
prison strike
, the strikers issued a press release that outlined several demands.
[3]
The demands, as reported by the
San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center
, included the following demands:
[4]
[6]
- A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK:
In violation of the
13th Amendment
to the Constitution prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, the
DOC
demands prisoners work for free.
- EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
: For the great majority of prisoners, the DOC denies all opportunities for education beyond the
GED
, despite the benefit to both prisoners and society.
- DECENT HEALTH CARE
: In violation of the
Eighth Amendment
prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, the DOC denies adequate medical care to prisoners, charges excessive fees for the most minimal care and is responsible for extraordinary pain and suffering.
- AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS
: In further violation of the Eighth Amendment, the DOC is responsible for cruel prisoner punishments for minor infractions of rules.
- DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS:
Georgia prisoners are confined in over-crowded, substandard conditions, with little heat in winter and oppressive heat in summer.
- NUTRITIONAL MEALS:
Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in DOC facilities while starches and fatty foods are plentiful.
- VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
The DOC has stripped its facilities of all opportunities for skills training, self-improvement and proper exercise.
- ACCESS TO FAMILIES:
The DOC has disconnected thousands of prisoners from their families by imposing
excessive telephone charges
and innumerable barriers to visitation.
- JUST PAROLE DECISIONS:
The
Parole Board
capriciously and regularly denies parole to the majority of prisoners despite evidence of eligibility.
On December 9, in anticipation of the protest, several of the prisons involved were placed on
lockdown
.
[5]
While the strike was initially planned as a one-day event, it was extended for several more days after prisoners reported that prison officers at several of the prisons had responded to the strike with violence.
[3]
On December 15, multiple news sources announced that the strike was over.
[7]
[8]
That same day, an article published in
ColorLines
called it "the largest prison strike in U.S. history."
[7]
Following the strike action in Georgia, similar large-scale prison strikes were held at prisons in several other U.S. states, including
Illinois
,
North Carolina
,
Virginia
, and
Washington
. Several years later in 2016, a
nationwide prison strike
, referred to as "one of the biggest prison protests in modern history", was held during the 45th anniversary of the
Attica Prison riot
.
[9]
In 2018,
another nationwide prison strike
was held that affected prisons in at least 17 states.
[10]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Wheaton, Sarah (December 12, 2010).
"Inmates in Georgia Prisons Use Contraband Phones to Coordinate Protest"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2020
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Wheaton, Sarah (December 12, 2020).
"Prisoners Strike in Georgia"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2020
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Spencer, Naomi (December 13, 2010).
"US: Georgia prison inmates strike"
.
World Socialist Web Site
.
International Committee of the Fourth International
.
Archived
from the original on June 28, 2019
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
"More on GA prison strike (said to be the biggest in U$ history)"
.
San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center
. December 13, 2010.
Archived
from the original on September 28, 2017
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Dixon, Bruce A. (December 13, 2010).
"Prisoners on strike in Georgia"
.
Socialist Worker
.
International Socialist Organization
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2020
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
Chen, Michelle (December 17, 2010).
"Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists"
.
In These Times
.
Archived
from the original on January 25, 2021
. Retrieved
December 26,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Hing, Julianne (December 15, 2010).
"Georgia Prisoners End Protest, But Continue Demands"
.
ColorLines
.
Applied Research Center
.
Archived
from the original on September 19, 2020
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
Cook, Rhonda (December 15, 2010).
"Prisoners' protest over. For now"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
.
Cox Enterprises
. Archived from
the original
on December 18, 2010
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
Kaleem, Jaweed (October 28, 2016).
"
'This is slavery': U.S. inmates strike in what activists call one of the biggest prison protests in modern history"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on December 24, 2020
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
- ^
Lopez, German (August 17, 2018).
"America's prisoners are going on strike in at least 17 states"
.
Vox
.
Vox Media
.
Archived
from the original on December 17, 2020
. Retrieved
December 25,
2020
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
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State prisons
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Reentry facilities
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Transitional centers
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Probation facilities
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- Bacon Probation Detention Center
- Bainbridge Probation Substance Abuse Treatment Center
- Bleckley Probation Detention Center
- Colwell Probation Detention Center
- Emanuel Probation Detention Center
- McEver Probation Detention Center
- Patten Probation Detention Center
- Paulding Probation Detention Center
- Treutlen Probation Detention Center
- Women’s Probation Detention Center
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Substance abuse facilities
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- Appling Integrated Treatment Facility
- Northwest Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center
- Turner Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center
- West Central Integrated Treatment Facility
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Private facilities
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County facilities
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- Athens-Clarke County Correctional Institution
- Bulloch County Correctional Institution
- Carroll County Correctional Institute
- Clayton County Prison
- Colquitt County Prison
- Coweta County Prison
- Decatur County Prison
- Effingham County Prison
- Floyd County Prison
- Gwinnett County Prison
- Hall County Correctional Institution
- Harris County Prison
- Jackson County Correctional Institution
- Jefferson County Correctional Institute
- Mitchell County Correctional Institute
- Muscogee County Prison
- Richmond County Correctional Institution
- Screven County Prison
- Spalding County Correctional Institution
- Sumter County Correctional Institute
- Terrell County Correctional Institute
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Closed facilities (partial list)
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See also
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