US EditionHunger Strike Begins as California Prisons Hand Down Biggest Restrictions Since COVID
- On June 12, 2025, the California Department of Corrections imposed broad restrictions on roughly 34,000 incarcerated people across nearly two dozen prisons, shutting off all outside communication and programming.
- These restrictions followed a surge in violence, overdoses, and contraband in the prisons, including armed assaults and several riots, and came amid criticism of the department's practices and staffing shortages.
- In response, more than 500 inmates at Salinas Valley State Prison launched a hunger strike to protest what advocates and family members describe as harsh, collective penalties comparable to solitary confinement.
- Corrections Secretary Jeff Macomber acknowledged the department’s duty to ensure public safety and monitor hunger strikes, while advocates highlighted the mental health harm and isolation caused by these sweeping lockdowns.
- The event underscores deep tensions surrounding prison management policies, with legal experts questioning the necessity and proportionality of large-scale lockdowns and their impact on rehabilitation and human rights.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Hunger Strike Begins as California Prisons Hand Down Biggest Restrictions Since COVID
Some prisoners commenced a hunger strike as more than 20 California prisons shut off outside communication for their incarcerated populations under expansive restrictions that took effect this month.
Hunger strike begins as California prisons hand down biggest restrictions since COVID
More than 20 California prisons shut off outside communication for their incarcerated populations under expansive restrictions that took effect this month. Some prisoners commenced a hunger strike in protest.
Cal Matters
Hunger strike begins as California prisons hand down biggest restrictions since Covid
In summary More than 20 California prisons shut off outside communication for their incarcerated populations under expansive restrictions that took effect this month. Some prisoners commenced a hunger strike in protest. Nearly two dozen state prisons last week imposed sweeping restrictions on their incarcerated population — including shutting off all outside communication. Now, hundreds of prisoners are reported to be on a hunger strike to prote…
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