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Block G is toured in the West section of the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix Friday June 1, 2018 in Collegeville, Pa. (Jacqueline Larma/AP Photo)
Prisoners protesting what they call “solitary confinement” by another name at SCI Phoenix ended a hunger strike Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
It’s unclear just how many prisoners took part in the action which started on June 23 – the DOC says only 12 inmates participated, while members of the Human Rights Coalition say it was closer to 40.
At the heart of the strike is what’s called an Intensive Management Unit, a program that was supposed to give people in restricted housing – units meant to segregate people who could cause harm to themselves or others in the prison – a pathway to return with the rest of the prisoners.
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