Pelican Bay hunger strike begins against solitary confinement

Prisoners in the Pelican Bay State Prison Security Housing Unit (SHU) in California began a hunger strike against indefinite solitary confinement that had held many for decades. The strike spread across the California prison system and by mid-July involved more than 6,600 prisoners. A second wave in 2013 reached 30,000. The campaign forced major reforms to California's use of long-term isolation.