Zachary Suri, Contributing Photographer

Two incarcerated men have participated in a hunger strike for better conditions in Connecticut prisons for the past eight days. 

Jacky Robinson Jr. and Cornel Myers — both incarcerated at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Conn. — have refused food since Sept. 16. The men’s demands include improved medical treatment and mental health services for prisoners, fewer prison lockdowns and shakedowns, and increased communication between prisoners and the outside world. Robinson plans to continue the strike until state Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros provides him with a written agreement to his demands.

“If I don’t continue, things will just go back to how they were,” Robinson said. “That’s what continues to keep me moving forward… Even though we’re in here for crimes we committed, [we’re] still human. We don’t deserve to be mistreated.”

Quiros did not respond to the News’ request for comment about a potential written agreement to the hunger strikers’ demands. 

Six men participated in the hunger strike last Monday, with a seventh man joining them on the second day. But Robinson said five of the men ended their strikes prematurely because the state Department of Correction threatened to move them to different units. He noted that the men were worried the DOC would eventually place them on medical suicide watch, cutting off their communication with the outside world.

DOC officials distributed copies of the hunger strike policy to the strikers, Robinson said. The policy states that if multiple prisoners participate in a hunger strike, they must be separated, according to Robinson. The DOC did not respond to a request for clarification about its hunger strike policy.

By Friday, Robinson and Myers were the only remaining strikers. When DOC officials told Myers he needed to switch units or go into segregation, he elected for the latter, Robinson said. Since Robinson was the sole striker left in his unit, he was allowed to remain there.

Robinson underscored the physical toll the hunger strike has taken on him and Myers. In the first six days of the hunger strike, Robinson’s weight dropped from 248 to 233.8 pounds. He has also experienced muscle cramps and fatigue, according to a TikTok video he uploaded about the strike.

Myers was recently hospitalized because of low blood sugar levels, according to Robinson. Since the men have not been able to communicate with each other, Robinson does not know if Myers was required to end his hunger strike. 

In the 2009 Lantz v. Coleman case, the Connecticut Superior Court ruled that it is constitutional for the DOC to force-feed prisoners on hunger strikes.

Hunger strikers outline demands for improved conditions

One of the strike’s main demands is fewer prison lockdowns and shakedowns. 

MacDougall-Walker has at least one four-to-five hour lockdown each week, in which prisoners are confined to their cells and have limited contact with the outside world while DOC officials undergo training, according to Robinson.

Criminal justice advocate Barbara Fair said MacDougall-Walker’s frequent lockdowns may violate the PROTECT Act, which was signed into law in 2022. The law prohibits the DOC from imposing lockdowns for more than a cumulative 24 hours each month, and it mandates four hours of recreational time for prisoners per day.

“They’re just flagrantly disobeying the law, but no one holds them accountable,” Fair said. “It’s never going to be enforced from the top, so [the DOC] is just violating the PROTECT Act in so many ways. And so I guess guys are just getting tired and fed up.”

The DOC did not respond to the News’ request for comment about the frequency of lockdowns at MacDougall-Walker.

The hunger strike was prompted by a MacDougall-Walker prisoner’s unexpected death on Sept. 14 when he fell backwards during a basketball game. After the prisoner died, DOC officials locked down the facility for the rest of the evening and the following day. Officials also “shook down” all prisoners, a term that refers to thorough searches of prisoners’ cells.

Frustrated about the facility’s frequent lockdowns and shakedowns, Robinson and five companions decided to launch the hunger strike the next day, on Sept. 16.

The hunger strikers are also calling for improved medical care and, in particular, better mental health treatment for prisoners. 

Robinson said DOC officials tend to focus on prisoners with preexisting mental health conditions and do not provide necessary treatment for people who develop mental health conditions while they are imprisoned.

He emphasized that the facility’s frequent lockdowns negatively impact prisoners’ mental health. People in solitary confinement are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and psychosis. 

“My heart really aches, because they are supposed to give us better treatment than this,” Robinson said. “[DOC officials] are responsible for our overall mental health and medical care.”

The hunger strikers are also urging the DOC to facilitate prisoners’ communication with the outside world. 

Prisoners are permitted to send ten electronic messages and complete six 15-minute phone calls each day. However, weak WiFi connections and frequent tablet glitches mean that prisoners’ messages and calls often fail.

The demand for tablets far exceeds supply, so prisoners with broken or malfunctioning devices often wait up to two months for a replacement, according to Robinson. 

The hunger strikers’ communication-related demands include an increased daily allowance of electronic messages and phone calls, quicker fixes for broken devices and the elimination of extra charges for international calls and messages.

Other demands include a greater quantity and quality of food for incarcerated people, an end to DOC retaliation against prisoners who speak out about poor prison conditions, and the elimination of over-sentencing and over-charging practices in Connecticut.

Attorney DeVaughn Ward — who has secured multiple settlements in legal battles with the DOC on behalf of people who received inadequate medical care in prison — was recently nominated as Connecticut’s interim ombudsman. He assumed the role Monday and has begun providing the state’s first independent prison oversight in over a decade. 

One of Ward’s top priorities in his first week as ombudsman is meeting with the hunger strikers, CT Insider reported. Ward declined to comment on his plan for addressing the hunger strike.

Robinson participated in another hunger strike from June 7 to 20, alongside James Davenport, who is also incarcerated at MacDougall-Walker. The men ended their strike after Robinson met with a DOC representative who promised to implement their demands, including a mentorship program for younger prisoners.

In the weeks after the June strike ended, Robinson said, prisoners began receiving increased medical and mental health check-ups and were served more nutritious food. But he said after a few weeks, the DOC reverted back to its status quo.

Robinson hopes that by securing a written agreement from Quiros, he’ll prevent the DOC from backtracking on its promises again.

The DOC did not respond to a request for comment about Robinson’s claim that the agency failed to meet his demands from the June hunger strike. 

Last Tuesday, Quiros told CT Insider he is committed to all prisoners’ wellbeing.

“If these individuals need help, I will ensure that they receive it,” he said.

MacDougall-Walker currently houses 1,492 incarcerated people.