美国国家公共电台 NPR--Texas prisoners go on hunger strike to protest solitary confinement

Texas prisoners go on hunger strike to protest solitary¹ confinement²

Transcript³

Dozens of men held in solitary confinement in Texas prisons are on a hunger strike to protest the practice. They want the state to limit who is held there and for how long.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Dozens of prisoners across Texas are nearly a week into a hunger strike in protest of what they say is inhumane treatment. The inmates⁴, all men, want an end to solitary confinement. Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio has been following the story, and he joins us now from San Antonio.

Paul, so what do the inmates say about the conditions they're living in?

PAUL FLAHIVE, BYLINE⁵: Yeah. The men are in restrictive housing, or what's better known as solitary confinement, where they spend up to 22 hours a day in their cells. In a letter to state legislators, they said staffing shortages have made the situation even worse, where one prison unit - Collier unit - men had only had outside recreation a handful of time in three years, and staff struggled to give them access to showers more than once a week. State officials have contested those descriptions, but the strikes are happening in as many as 14 units across the state. And the State Department of Criminal Justice says 72 inmates are participating, though outside organizers say it's more like a 300.

MART?NEZ: Why does the state of Texas say these inmates are being kept in solitary confinement?

FLAHIVE: They say it's good for staff and other inmates - many of the men in solitary because they are determined⁶ to be a high escape risk. They've got disciplinary violations⁷ like assault. But many are members of restricted gangs. So some are being separated simply because of their status as gang members. And prison administrators⁸ say they use an exhaustive process to determine who should be in solitary, and it's reviewed periodically. A spokesperson said the state's made big strides in reducing the number of inmates in this secure detention¹⁰, dropping 65% over the past 15 years from about 9,000 to just over 3,100 now.

MART?NEZ: All right. What are the inmates saying?

FLAHIVE: We've reached out to several, but we have not been able to connect just yet. We've seen letters they've sent to state lawmakers with their demands and concerns. These inmates, especially the gang members, say they shouldn't be punished for just being in a gang. For them to get out of solitary, them must go through a renouncement¹¹ and denouncement program, which oftentimes means snitching on their inmates, which puts them at risk. Some have been inside for over a decade, say researchers. Advocate Brittany Robertson has been in touch with some of these inmates. She says they want the state to stop holding people indefinitely this way and to build a step-down program so inmates can acclimate¹² to the general population before they're released from prison.

BRITTANY ROBERTSON: Eighty percent of them will enter the community. And these are men who have dealt with isolation¹³ and can suffer from PTSD, psychosis and hallucinations. And there's nothing preparing them. Some of them have been in for 20 years.

FLAHIVE: Prison officials say these are violent and organized gangs, and they can't trust them to have free rein¹⁴ to recruit throughout the jails.

MART?NEZ: Then why did the Texas institute this sweeping¹⁵ solitary confinement system in the first place?

FLAHIVE: Yeah, Texas had an explosion of prison gangs and violence in the mid-'80s, and the state - it needed to implement¹⁶ this to secure those programs. Today people who follow criminal justice say it simply amounts to torture. In fact, I spoke⁹ to a number of prison researchers. And Texas is now just one of the handful of states to still use this administrative¹⁷ segregation¹⁸ based on gang membership. California stopped a similar practice nearly a decade ago after a weekslong hunger strike involving hundreds of inmates and a class-action lawsuit¹⁹.

MART?NEZ: All right. That's Paul Flahive, a reporter with Texas Public Radio. Paul, thanks a lot.

FLAHIVE: Thank you.

1 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

2 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

8 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

11 renouncement   

n.否认，拒绝

参考例句：

12 acclimate   

v.使服水土，使习惯于新环境

参考例句：

• I help them acclimate to living in the U.S.我帮助他们适应在美国的生活。
• How much time does she need to acclimate?她需要多少时间才能适应？

13 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

14 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

15 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

16 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

17 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

18 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

19 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。