LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Seven days into a hunger strike at Ely State Prison, inmates continue to protest the conditions of their confinement.
Though Ely is in Northern Nevada, the concerns are shared across the state.
13 Investigates has received several letters over the past two months from inmates at High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs.
The conditions they describe mirror those the Northern Nevada inmates are starving themselves to help correct.
On Dec. 1, about 40 inmates at Ely State Prison went on a hunger strike, claiming the Nevada Department of Corrections is doing the opposite of its mission to provide public safety due to the conditions inmates endure on the inside—conditions that include medical needs not being met, food that's sometimes moldy or spoiled, and portions that are usually too small and don't provide adequate nutrition.
Inmate requests and grievances are reportedly being ignored or dismissed.
In a statement Monday, NDOC said in part that they are "Auditing portion sizes at all facilities throughout the state, reviewing the contract with the current food vendor and reviewing additional complaints."
Those additional complaints from the Indian Springs inmates who wrote to us include the lack of available rehabilitation that prevents inmates from bettering themselves.
They claim education programs are not available or accessible, church services are inmate-led and inconsistent, substance abuse and life skill programs don't exist at High Desert, and requests for transfer to prisons that offer such programs are going unanswered.
One inmate wrote that staff shortages "Are leading to a cascade of consequences that are beginning to spiral out of control."
He described frequent lockdowns that sometimes last for days, during which inmates can't make phone calls, take showers or get outside recreation time.
An inmate's letter from early November said he had not been outside for fresh air since July. He also said staff are so overworked that they lock inmates down so that they can sleep on the job.
The inmate who wrote about the "cascade of consequences" added, "While the general public might not be sympathetic to such circumstances, it should be remembered that the goal is to release well-adjusted inmates back to society. Family contact, hygiene, physical health, and meaningful contact with others are all factors in recidivism."
New information from the inmate advocacy group Return Stronger claims that NDOC is not being truthful about the number of inmates on strike and the tactics they're using to discredit the strike.
Earlier this week, NDOC said they're monitoring inmate weight and health, but Return Stronger says the state is fudging the numbers.
The organization says that when the hunger strike began, initial weigh-ins were done with people in their clothes. But several days later, as inmates began losing up to 10 or 11 pounds, NDOC "forced them to weigh in with leg shackles and waist chains to make it appear that they are not losing weight and therefore lying about the hunger strike."
We asked NDOC specifically about the new allegations made today, and a spokesperson said, "We have no comment at this time."
Return Stronger has asked for a meeting with the governor and the governor-elect's transition team and is waiting for a reply.
