42 inmates begin hunger strike at Utah State Prison

42 inmates in the maximum-security Uinta facility in Vernal, Utah refused to eat breakfast Friday morning and told staffers they are on a hunger strike.

According to Adams, the inmates could have the chance to be evaluated by docs in the course of the strike.

“The inmates have given the Department a list of demands that includes release of gang leaders now housed in a different maximum-security unit”, said Adams.

Officials from the American Civil Liberties Union in Utah say they have been receiving letters from Utah State Prison inmates for months. Brooke Adams, Public Information Officer for the Utah Department of Corrections, stated Sunday the inmates are demanding these inmates be launched from most safety and incarcerated elsewhere.

The prison will continue to provide meals on the same schedule, Adams said.

The medical checks are scheduled to occur again Monday.

“The department also has inventoried food items in each participating inmate’s cell to document potential nutritional intake”, she said.