Inmates at multiple Alabama prisons are refusing to perform their assigned work duties in what they describe as a coordinated act of civil disobedience.

The strike began Sunday as an attempt to deal a severe enough financial blow to the prison system to force authorities to make a wide range of reforms, according to an advocacy group and an inmate participating in the strike.

Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) spokesman Bob Horton confirmed certain aspects of the situation in a Monday afternoon statement

"[S]ome inmates at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, and the Elmore Correctional Facility are refusing to work in their assigned jobs at both facilities," the statement says.

"The inmates have not given any demands, or a reason for refusing to work. As a precaution, the correctional facilities are on lockdown with limited inmate movement while ADOC investigates the situation."

An Elmore inmate spoke with AL.com Monday on condition of anonymity about the strike, its aims and the response of the DOC. He said via text message that the protest is led by a group called the Free Alabama Movement, which has actively promoted the strike on social media in recent weeks.

The inmate alleged that the William E. Donaldson, Staton and St. Clair correctional facilities were also experiencing "a complete shutdown," but the DOC's statement said that "[n]o other correctional facilities are on lockdown" as of Monday afternoon.

The Elmore inmate added that the coordinated strike was an attempt at "trying through our resistance to improve our living conditions, parole issues and a lot of other issues that effect (sic) us prisoners."

The Free Alabama Movement's Facebook page lays out its grievances and demands and provides information about the protest and its particulars.

"All is required is for INDUSTRY WORKERS, KITCHEN WORKERS, & HALL RUNNERS TO SIT DOWN," reads an April 23 Facebook post by the group.

"SIT DOWN and instead of saving and making the ADOC money, force them to pay to operate their Prisons. This will greatly diminish their incentives to Warehouse thousands of us for decades with no true efforts at Rehabilitation."

The DOC statement sought to allay concerns that there is any danger to prisoners at the facilities it acknowledges are experiencing work stoppages.

"Correctional staff are responding by delivering the basic services to all inmates at both facilities," the statement says. "The facilities are secure, inmates are receiving their daily meals, and their healthcare needs are being met."

The Elmore inmate said no violence has arisen out of the strike at Elmore, but that officials have put additional restrictions in place in response to the protest.

"We haven't been allowed to get any form of recreation, we're confined to only our dorms, we aren't allowed to purchase food items from [the] institution store," he said.

"This isn't just an isolated issue, it's statewide. Before long each prison will participate. Trust me, it's catching like wildfire."