LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As inmates at Ely State Prison continue their hunger strike to protest the conditions of their confinement, the Nevada Department of Corrections issued a response to the strike on Friday afternoon.
Inmates began the hunger strike on Dec. 1 to highlight concerns with prison conditions, including allegations of insufficient food portions, medical needs not being met and a lack of extracurricular programming for inmates. These grievances, inmates say, have been "ignored or dismissed" by NDOC leadership.
13 INVESTIGATES: Inmates on prison hunger strike protest conditions across Nevada
“We are listening to these offenders and want to fix those areas where we may have been inconsistent,” said Acting Director William Gittere. “Some of the claims are false, but some of them have merit, and we want to correct them.”
In their statement, NDOC leaders said 19 offenders have been on strike for nine days, one has been on strike for three days, and four are on their second day. They also addressed several policies related to the hunger strike, citing "understaffing" as a problem in meeting daily prison requirements, such as outdoor recreation.
NDOC says policies regarding discipline indicate that inmates can have privileges — such as phone time and access to commissary — revoked. However, NDOC clarified that these sanctions can only happen "concurrently, rather than consecutively" and said consecutive sanctions have been discontinued immediately.
Regarding meals, leaders say that supervisors are "monitoring each feeding and personally observing the food deliveries to ensure proper portion size."
Additionally, leaders say that understaffing makes it difficult to meet the daily requirement for things like recreational time outdoors but they're "working on the problem."
When addressing the issue of inmate programming, leaders say that Ely State Prison does not offer those incentives because NDOC is "structured to incentivize good behavior." By avoiding discipline and completing certain requirements, inmates can be classified to a facility with fewer controls and more privileges.
However, ESP inmates at all security levels also have access to college courses through Great Basin College, other education services and work assignments, according to NDOC.
“We understand offenders are dissatisfied that we can’t turn around these changes as quickly as we’d like,” Gittere said, but he assured that officials are "working on the problem."
