Pelican Bay

Just over a year ago I took part in a mass hunger strike for basic rights within the prison system. The hunger strike began within the Pelican Bay SHU and quickly spread to many other prisons and outsiders in unity for the basic rights of those in prison.
These actions were not to create debate as to the innocence or guilt of those in prison but to express that they have rights and those rights must be upheld for the sake of humanity. To be a human and not within the social or rather legal norm does not change the fact that these are human beings who must be treated with compassion.
If torture were the purpose of the american judicial system then the prisons must no longer be called Department of rehabilitation and Corrections.