In news from California, prisoners at Pelican Bay and other state prisons have resumed their hunger strike to protest against what they they describe as inhumane prison conditions. Thousands of prisoners across the state went on a three-week hunger strike in July, but the protest ended after California prison officials agreed to make some changes to their policy of holding prisoners in long-term solitary confinement. Carol Strickman is an attorney working for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.

Carol Strickman, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children attorney: “Since that time, we have seen a few minor improvements, but the major improvements that CDCR is touting are a sham. And we know that, and the prisoners know that.”

Dorsey Nunn is a former prisoner and co-founder of the group All of Us or None.

Dorsey Nunn, All of Us or None co-founder: “We’ve been receiving mail, probably since the inception of Pelican Bay, that the conditions was horrendous. So, like, CDCR have been violating human rights. This not a matter of simply a question of disciplinary action. They define their ability to torture based on the status of the human being there, as opposed to recognizing that torture is torture. It’s not justifiable for anybody in this society. So you just can’t simply say, ’That’s a gang member, and torture is permissible.’”