MADISON, WI (AP)-- Supporters of a group of Wisconsin inmates on a hunger strike are protesting the Department of Corrections' decision to force-feed them.
Six inmates have been refusing to eat since June 10 to protest long-term solitary confinement, according to Industrial Workers of the World, a labor union working to draw attention to the strike. Court documents show the DOC has started force-feeding at least three of them.
Ben Turk, a member of IWW, says inmates were force-fed three times per day at first, "which is totally coercive and unnecessary."
The group delivered a letter to the DOC Tuesday demanding negotiations on its solitary confinement policies.
DOC spokesman Tristan Cook says the letter is under review. He says he's unable to comment on health of inmates, so he can't comment on force-feeding.
