By Alexei Koseff
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Prisoners across California drew widespread attention last summer when they embarked upon a two-month long hunger strike to protest what they considered excessively cruel use of solitary cells. During a legislative hearing in October, prison officials defended the tactic as a crucial strategy for controlling gang activity.
However, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has also been working on a “step-down” program that would allow inmates to be released from their solitary placement. A follow-up hearing on that proposed reform, jointly hosted by the Legislature’s public safety committees, is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in Room 4202 of the Capitol. Among those slated to testify are George Giurbino and Suzan Hubbard, the former and current directors of the CDCR’s division of adult institutions.
The hearing has also attracted the attention of Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity, a community organization from the Bay Area that considers solitary confinement to be “cruel, inhumane and tortuous.” The group will hold a rally at noon on the west steps of the Capitol before heading to meetings with legislators.