On 18th March, about 80 prisoners at Allegheny County Jail launched a 24-hour strike, with the following demands:

1. Permit the [Allegheny County] Justice Project to have immediate access to the ACJ as volunteer interns, with designated areas within the jail to conduct inmate interviews and generate reports.

2. Expand unit management staff to include more case workers or assistants to better manage the affairs of inmates.

3. Change the method in which medical services are provided to inmates and ensure adequate meds are dispensed.

4. Provide inmates to a legitimate grievance procedure.

5. Require the DOC and Prison Board to ensure that all administrative rules and DOC policies are accessible to inmates.

While the strike has now ended for the moment, there’s still an active request for supporters to join in and help pressure the administration to meet their demands and prevent retaliation. Please pass this message – which can be as simple as “Hi, I’m contacting you in support of the prisoners who held a sit-in protest recently. Please meet all their demands and refrain from any retaliation against them” – to these contacts:

Orlando Harper, ACJ Warden

Phone: 412-350-2000

Email via this form: http://www.alleghenycounty.us/jail/contact/contact.aspx

Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County Executive

Phone: 412-350-6500

Fax: 412-350-6512

Email: executive@alleghenycounty.us

Elsewhere, in Ohio, Siddique Hasan and Jason Robb are still on hunger strike in protest at a communication restriction intended to prevent them from talking to the media.

You can contact the administration to demand they negotiate a safe end to the hunger strike and meet their demands at:

Phone: 330-743-0700

Fax: 330-743-0841

Email: drc.osp@odrc.state.oh.us

Address: 878 Coitsville-Hubbard Road Youngstown, OH 44505

To send support to Jason and Siddique directly, you can contact them at:

Jason Robb 308-919/Siddique Abdullah Hasan R130-559

878 Coitsville-Hubbard Road

Youngstown, OH 44505

USA