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| Lock Down Following Inmate Threats |
| By azcentral.com/ |
| Published: 05/19/2009 |
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County jails locked down following inmate threats Arpaio: Convicts fear reprisals for refusing to join in hunger strike by Eddi Trevizo and JJ Hensley - The Arizona Republic The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office declared an indefinite lockdown on three of its jail facilities after several inmates were threatened by other inmates for refusing to participate in a hunger strike. The lockdown took effect Monday afternoon and will continue indefinitely at the Towers Jail, the Fourth Avenue Jail and Lower Buckeye Jail, said Maricopa County sheriff's officials in a press release. Inmates participating in hunger strikes since early May have repeatedly threatened inmates who continue to take their meals. "Since the problem began, six inmates have requested to be placed in protective custody so they can eat without fear of reprisal," said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in the media release. Authorities said the hunger strikes were triggered by an anti-illegal-immigration enforcement march on May 2. The event drew thousands of demonstrators and about 200 inmates went on strike. Since then, more than a thousand inmates repeatedly have refused their meals. However, inmates and their representatives said they are protesting the quality of the food they are served. Complaints about the quality of food comes as a dietitian has worked to ensure the jail menus meet USDA guidelines, as U.S. District Judge Neil Wake ordered in a ruling against Maricopa County last fall. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Sheriff's Office called in a nutritionist to assess the inmates' meals and ensure they were within 2005 USDA guidelines. Sheriff's authorities argue that the new healthier menu items fall within guidelines but taste worse. Thursday, 1,504 inmates refused their evening meal. Friday, 1,800 refused to eat; Saturday, 1,219 did not eat; and Sunday, 1,080 inmates refused the meal, Maricopa County sheriff's officials said. Jail intelligence officers said that inmates were displeased with the evening meals, and that most inmates were still eating the morning meal. Debra Hill, an attorney representing inmates in the class-action lawsuit that brought the ruling, said she is meeting with a lawyer for the Sheriff's Office next week. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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