Hunger strikers should chew on facts

For anyone hungering to see another story of unabashed entitlement, this one’s a slammer.

In a bid to end “prison slavery” and enact sentencing reforms, inmates in jails nationwide have gone on strike.

Yes, you read that right. Food won’t be cooked. Laundry won’t be washed. Grass won’t be cut. Floors won’t be mopped. And facilities won’t be cleaned. In addition, there will be — what else? — protests, boycotts, sit-ins, and hunger strikes.

The inmates are attempting to run the asylum until Sept. 9, the anniversary of the deadly 1971 prison riot in Attica, New York.

If the strikers are looking for empathy, perhaps someone should tell them that celebrating the Attica tragedy — where 1,000 inmates seized control and 43 people died, including ten correctional officers and civilian employees — is not the best way to achieve public support.

Even in our entitlement-drive society, prisoners striking takes the cake.

The action is being organized by the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee and the Jailhouse Lawyers Speak organization. Enough said.

Why the strike? According to a protest spokesman, “Every single field and industry is affected on some level by prisons, from our license plates to the fast food that we eat to the stores that we shop at. So we really need to recognize how we are supporting the prison industrial complex through the dollars that we spend.”

So now inmates think they’re entitled to the same substantial compensation (courtesy of taxpayers) that hard-working, lawabiding citizens earn. Perhaps they need a refresher that they are not the equal of free people, since they — big refrain here — broke the law. And in many cases, they killed people and devastated families.

But it gets better. They’re also demanding “an immediate end to the racial overcharging, oversentencing, and parole denials of black and brown humans.

Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.” They strikers also want “an immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting black and brown humans.”

If wardens have any guts, they will aggressively enforce penalties against prisoners who take part in this strike, including placing leaders in solitary confinement. Prison reform needs to be discussed, but an inmate strike isn’t the way to start that dialogue.

Strike notwithstanding, there are certain points where the prisoners are correct.

First, convicts completing their sentences should absolutely have their voting rights restored. Attempts to deny them of that fundamental right are rooted in politics — usually by Republicans who believe that most exprisoners would vote Democratic. While probably true, it is completely irrelevant.

If the state deems a convict rehabilitated enough to re-enter society, he therefore should be able to vote. We can’t have it both ways: telling released prisoners that they are free citizens, but denying them their American rights. Republicans would be a lot better off if they focused on issues that actually matter, and less on polarizing, red-herring distractions.

Second, given that the United States leads the world in the number of incarcerated people, it is long overdue to look at ways in which we can reduce the current prison population (since it costs taxpayers billions), and prevent people from going to jail in the first place.

The latter can be accomplished by instituting true education reform, and eliminating the thousands of needless laws that are on the books.

Third, non-violent illegal alien prisoners should work on certain public works projects — specifically involving border security and construction of the border wall in exchange for reduced sentences.

Vastly improving rehabilitation programs is worth the investment. If we don’t, recidivism rates will continue to climb because ex-cons will have no way of making a living, and therefore relapse into a life of crime.

Lost on the strike organizers is the pesky fact that prisoners are in jail for good reason: they did bad things.

Prison reform is undoubtedly overdue, but the fact that it isn’t high on the public’s priority list doesn’t give inmates the right to call the shots.

Let’s strike fast to end this strike, and send the message that those breaking the rules, especially in prison, will be held accountable — “bar” none.