California court rules prisoners on hunger strike can be force-fed

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Independent

California court rules prisoners on hunger strike can be force-fed

A judge has ruled that prisoners can be force -fed over concerns that those on hunger strike had been coerced into doing do

Heather Saul
Tuesday 20 August 2013

A California court ruled on Monday that a prison can force-feed some prisoners on a hunger strike after officials voiced concerns that the inmates may have been coerced into refusing food in a protest against the state's solitary confinement policies.

In response to a request by state authorities US District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson ruled that California prison doctors may force-feed select inmates who are near death, even if they had signed orders asking not to be resuscitated.

Before the ruling was made California's policy prohibited the force-feeding of inmates on a hunger strike if they signed medical orders refusing resuscitation in the event they lose consciousness or experience heart failure.

But officials went to court on Monday to request permission to ignore these “do-not-resuscitate” orders for inmates who signed them when participating in the hunger strike or shortly before it, citing concerns about possible coercion.


Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-court-rules-prisoners-on-hunger-strike-can-be-forcefed-8775912.html

[midnight]

1. I hope this inhumane mess gets even more attention.....

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Irony has coded out

and its pupils are fixed and dilated after this paragraph was printed:

But officials went to court on Monday to request permission to ignore these “do-not-resuscitate” orders for inmates who signed them when participating in the hunger strike or shortly before it, citing concerns about possible coercion.

People who have been submitting prisoners to inhumane and cruel treatment are worried about "coercion".

[cstanleytech]

3. Posted already in LBN I believe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014569667

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. So what? - this deserves considerable attention methinks.

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alerting on and killing duplicate threads serves no productive result IMO.

A more reasonable approach from the juries/hosts/whomever would just to provide links between the two.

Maybe that is all you were trying to do.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if the host(s) do not lock this thread.

But I won't hold my breath.

CC

[cstanleytech]

6. First I didnt alert on it, I could have but I didnt.

Second the reason why dupe posts are usually locked is because there is no need to start another thread when one already exists and thirdly this is Latest Breaking News and not Latest Breaking News Reposts.

[WatermelonRat]

4. I'm really torn on this issue

I don't want to see people starve to death, even on their own volition, but forcefeeding...it's unpleasant, to say the least.