reader, tecoyah, David, clax, Dirk,
et al,
Sometimes, I think we lose sight of what a "Prisoner Hunger Strike" really is; and its implications.
... ... ...But to be honest, they are successful at influencing government with these protests, strikes etc.
(COMMENT-Generalities)
In such events, there is always a "demand." The demand is either implicit or explicit, but it is always there.
(Freedom, Publicity, Notoriety/Fame, Tangibles, etc)
The prisoner adopts a persona. They are a hero, maryr, or generally undeserving of the sentence
(an innocent or desperate), etc.
The hunger strike is generally a combination of blackmail, hostage and threat.
- Given me "X" or I'll do "Y!"
When my oldest child was young, she would sometimes ask for something. On rare occasions, when I would deny her request, she would scream and then hold her breath until I capitulated. She was pretty good, and would sometimes hold it long enough to turn blue.
In the case of most "Prisoner Hunger Strikes," the prisoner becomes both the blackmailer and the hostage with the threat:
- Given me what I demand or I'll kill the hostage (himself).
This is not unlike my daughter holding her breath.
In a "Prisoner Hunger Strike," the government has to make some decisions. In a normal hostage case, the Government would want to free the hostage from danger. This normally kicks-off a negotiation between the government and the hostage taker; with the first question being: What do you want?
(The Demand.)
In a "Prisoner Hunger Strike" the weapon is food and the trigger is self denial.
- Given me my freedom or I'll starve the hostage (himself).
Given that you cannot free the hostage, what do you (The Government) have to consider?
- Do you have a policy to negotiate?
- What is the probability that the threat will be executed?
- What impact will the execution of the threat have?
- How will the law bidding taxpayer view capitulation 'v' status quo?
- What will the general prison population think? Will it inspire more strikes?
- Are the demands reasonable?
- What does the cost 'v' benefit analysis conclude?
- What precedent does capitulation set?
- What dangers does the capitulation present?
Simultaneously, there is an investigation concerning the allegations made by the Prisoner. This is a moral obligation to determine if in fact, the demands are actually needed for health, safety or other rational concerns.
Make no mistake, there are cases
(few though they may be) when, the demands might actually improve the health and safety of the prisoner population and staff. But there is also the need to be demonstrably human in the treatment of prisoners.
In terms of a medical intervention in a sour "Prisoner Hunger Strike," this has to be carefully considered and the reasoning (for and against) logically documented. This cannot be a subjective decision in the eyes of either the taxpayer or the prison population. The policy must be straight forward, very clear and understood by all.
There is no one single correct answer to the question of a "Prisoner Hunger Strike" and how to handle them. They each must be evaluated individually.
But remember what a "Prisoner Hunger Strike" really is: a combination of blackmail, hostage and threat. And if believable, gives you some insight into the persona of the inmate.
Is there a specific case you are considering?
Most Respectfully,
R
.
