Everyone likes change in diet and institutional cafeteria food sucks! This was the thrust of convict demands this week at La Reforma prison.

Some 1,700 minimum security section prisoners at La Reforma ended a peaceful 24-hour hunger strike with an accord with Reynaldo Villalobos of the prison system to be more flexible in allowing families to bring them food.

The strike brought out 160 extra police (including four with anti-riot gear) as well as 300 guards but all was handled with more delicacy than is found among some protests downtown in the capital.

Regulations regarding anyone from the outside bringing anything to prisoners is strict, especially after a surprise search recently discovered hundreds of homemade knives and daggers in the cells.

After 24 hours in which the prisoners in the two cell blocks ate nothing, the strike ended without incident after a conference between 15 representatives of the prisoners met with five Ministry of Justice officials.

Villalobos said that families can bring food to prisoners and leave them at the entrance. But prisoners protested that the sacks were delayed unduly at the inspection site.

The prison official mentioned to La Nacion that, although the hunger strike was carried out in an orderly manner, “some prisoners still used the opportunity to grab belongings of other convicts — but we’ll straighten that out internally.”

Source: Fijatevos.com