A whiny bunch of inmates incarcerated in a Texas prison have been on a hunger strike for the past eight days. The thugs are refusing to eat at mealtimes, daring prison officials to let them starve or acquiesce to their demands.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst says “they began refusing meals on Christmas but some have food in their cells that they purchased from the commissary… the inmates have complained about recreational time, food portions and the temperature.”
In other words, prison sucks. Of course, it does, did the inmates think they were checking into a Holiday Inn when they were strip-searched upon arrival? Prisoners deserve to have their basic rights protected, but they shouldn’t be catered to.
If a mentally-competent adult chooses to not eat, why is it the prison’s responsibility to keep them alive? If someone wants to starve, let them. The strikers at the Texas prison aren’t suicidal, they’re just trying to use what little leverage they have.
Take it away from them. Prisons have a responsibility to provide three reasonably healthy meals a day. They shouldn’t also be required to force it down their charges’ throats.
Hurst told the Houston Chronicle Tuesday that “37 prisoners in segregation are participating. The number has fallen since Sunday when he told the Houston Chronicle that 45 inmates were involved.”
He also said that officials “will take appropriate action as needed,” although he declined to give further details.
Millennials need to learn that throwing a temper tantrum only works when they’re five.
(Source: Houston Chronicle)