SALINAS VALLEY, Calif. — Incarcerated individuals at Salinas Valley State Prison have launched a hunger strike, alleging ongoing violations by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) nearly a decade after a landmark court settlement aimed at ending indefinite solitary confinement and racially discriminatory lockdowns.
The protest began Friday, June 13, and is described as a peaceful action calling for an end to arbitrary lockdowns, collective punishment, and the denial of access to rehabilitative programming that impacts parole eligibility. Organizers say the strike is a direct response to CDCR’s failure to uphold reforms agreed to in Ashker v. Governor, the 2015 federal court settlement that found the department’s solitary confinement and group punishment practices unlawful.
“We, the incarcerated individuals housed in Salinas Valley State Prison, formally declare the beginning of a peaceful hunger strike,” the group wrote in a formal declaration. “This action arises in response to persistent and unlawful practices by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation… including the use of indiscriminate lockdowns, deprivation of rehabilitative and constitutional rights, and collective punishment of the incarcerated population.”
The hunger strike was announced alongside support from a coalition of advocacy groups, including the Prisoner Human Rights Movement, California Prison Focus, United Front for Peace in Prison, KAGE Universal, Poor Magazine, P.E.P. TALK Group and others. Organizers say the strike is rooted in the legacy of the 2011 and 2013 hunger strikes, in which more than 30,000 incarcerated people protested indefinite isolation and race-based policies across California prisons.
In 2012, incarcerated people issued the Agreement to End Hostilities (AEH), a declaration of peace and unity across racial and geographic lines in California prisons. Advocates say CDCR’s power has long relied on racial division and that the AEH was an unprecedented act of solidarity. The Ashker settlement followed years of litigation and confirmed that many of CDCR’s prior practices were not only unethical but illegal.
According to the CDCR, as of last week, all Level III and Level IV facilities were placed on a “modified program” in response to “a recent and concerning rise in violent incidents directed towards both staff and incarcerated individuals.” Salinas Valley is among the affected facilities.
Under the modified program, in-person visitation is suspended, phone and tablet communications are paused, and programming — including education, religious services, and self-help groups — is halted. Individuals are largely confined to their housing units, and access to the yard and dayroom is restricted.
CDCR did not confirm the hunger strike at Salinas Valley but acknowledged that hunger strikes are monitored in accordance with internal procedures. According to the department’s regulations, if an incarcerated person refuses food for nine consecutive meals, they are classified as a hunger strike participant and must be medically evaluated.
The P.E.P. TALK Group, which has been in contact with hunger strike participants, said incarcerated people at Salinas Valley are being denied access to vocational and rehabilitative programs that are necessary for earning credits under California Penal Code § 2933 and for satisfying parole requirements.
The statement reads, in part, “This protest is not rooted in defiance but in our firm demand that CDCR adhere to its obligations under the U.S. Constitution, California Penal Code, and Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations.”
Advocates argue that CDCR has circumvented the reforms of the Ashker settlement by rebranding race-based lockdowns as “security measures” or “modified programming.” They say these policies continue to disproportionately target Black and Latino incarcerated people and are often used to justify denial of parole, particularly for older individuals who have served decades in custody.
Activists are calling for the creation of a Strategic Community Release Board composed of legal scholars, community leaders, clergy, and formerly incarcerated people to independently investigate and document CDCR practices. They also call for a national investigation into CDCR’s alleged use of counterintelligence programs aimed at undermining the Agreement to End Hostilities and discrediting prisoner-led reform efforts.
In their letter, outside supporters wrote, “We write to remind you of the commitments made in response to the historic hunger strikes, legal battles, and the Agreement to End Hostilities (AEH). These agreements were not granted out of goodwill but won through struggle against abuses that were later exposed as not just unethical, but unlawful.”
As the strike continues, organizers say they are determined to amplify the voices of those inside and to ensure that the promises made after the 2011–2013 hunger strikes are not forgotten or ignored.
“The journey to freedom begins from within,” the organizing statement concludes — a reminder that the incarcerated are not passive subjects of the system but active participants in the long struggle for justice.
A list of formal demands from the hunger strikers includes restoration of in-person visitation, reinstatement of phone and canteen access, an end to collective punishment, and the reestablishment of due process protections. The organizers are urging lawmakers, journalists, and the public to investigate CDCR’s practices and stand in solidarity.
The CDCR has stated that “California Correctional Health Care Services follow policies and procedures to carefully monitor, track, counsel and medically evaluate hunger strike participants,” but has not issued a public comment on the strike itself.
The number of participants currently involved in the hunger strike has not been confirmed. Under CDCR regulations, three or more individuals must participate for an action to be classified as a mass hunger strike.
In the meantime, advocates say they will continue to support the strikers and press for accountability.
