400 Terminal Island Inmates Participate in Hunger Strike

Inmates at the federal penitentiary on Terminal Island were confined to their cells Sunday after about 400 prisoners refused to eat their noon meals, officials said.

“Basically, it appears to be a reaction to some security measures we imposed last week, limiting inmates’ time in the recreation yard and mess hall,” said prison spokesman Jim Zangs.

He said the institution’s 1,200 inmates were returned to their cells as a precautionary measure to prevent further incidents.

The prison population is roughly divided between jail inmates awaiting trial and convicted criminals serving sentences.

The lock-down resulted from a group of prisoners refusing to eat their noon meals, he said. The inmates appeared to be unorganized with no designated spokesman, Zangs said.