Inmates at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut have been on a water-only hunger strike since July 7 for better living conditions and the enforcement of the PROTECT Act, which limits solitary confinement usage and gives inmates a minimum duration of daily recreation time.
The inmates have a list of 15 demands, among which are the enforcement of a daily minimum of five hours of out-of-cell recreation time, daily access to fresh air, adequate healthcare treatment, and nutritionally-sufficient and palatable meals.
The prison has been placed under lockdown, with the Department of Corrections’ justification being low staffing levels. Unjust lockdowns are one of the issues that the prisoners demand to be ended.
Statements from prisoners obtained by the organization Dare to Struggle have revealed the arbitrary visit cancellations due to the lockdown, with inmate Rashad Sellers writing, “families will travel from out of state to be told right before the visit is to begin that the visit are cancelled with no explanation.”
Protesters rallied outside the prison last week (07/19) in support of the strike, echoing the prisoners’ demands.
The PROTECT Act was passed in Connecticut in 2022, establishing an independent advisory board to ensure that solitary confinement is never used for more than fifteen days straight and that general population inmates have at least five out-of-cell hours per day. Despite its passage, it has not been adequately applied and violations are commonly seen by inmates.
The inmates’ full list of 15 demands can be read here.
Image: Cheshire Correctional Institution. Source: Connecticut Real Estate History.
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