2016 U.S. prison strike

2016 U.S. prison strike is a prison work stoppage that began on September 9, 2016, the 45th anniversary of the Attica uprising. The strike occurred in 24 states, and over 24,000 prisoners partook in the strike. The involvement of 24,000 prisoners made this strike the largest ever recorded in the U.S. Within a week, inmates from approximately 20 prisons participated, but information leakage on the number of protests was tight. Organizations involved in coordinating the strike include the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee and the Free Alabama Movement. The causes behind the prison strike included unfair prison labor, low salary, and unsatisfying living conditions. The main goal of the strike was to end the prison slavery in which the inmates are subjected. According to the 13th Amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America, slavery can be used to penalize the breaching of the law.

Despite the large amount of protests of the inmates, the strike received a small amount of media coverage.

The Free Alabama Movement and the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee actively participated in the prison strike. The strike originated in Alabama within a band of prisoners at Holman prison. This group is known as the Free Alabama Movement who requests for adequately paid labor. The group took advantage of their role of laboring for free and used it against the prison system to protest. The main goal of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee is to protest the inhumane living conditions inmates endure. Cellular devices were used as a communication force and helped to organize the strikes in the groups.

Inmates in 40 to 50 prisons planned to participate in the strike and over 24,000 inmates were involved. Inmates residing in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Oregon, and Georgia participated. Prisoners in Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington also contributed to the strike. Protests in South Carolina, Michigan, and Florida occurred as well. The prison strike united through cell phone communication which was used in a concealed manner. Supporters from outside sources aided in the organizing. The protesting included the inmates refusing to do labor and pushing the prisons into a state of lockdown. Orders from a Florida prison were ignored on September 12, 2016 and caused a temporary lockdown. In Michigan, the inmates who worked in the kitchen did not appear at their work posts. Approximately 400 prisoners ignored their tasks and marched. That institution eventually attained a lockdown status after the facility received an impairment. Inmates in South Carolina and Alabama voiced their concerns and requested for an end to unfair prison labor, low wages, and poor living conditions.

...
Wikipedia