Here’s how a 6-inch metal shiv led to a hunger strike inside the Benton County jail
A report of a metal shank ended up triggering a short-lived hunger strike recently in the Benton County jail.
Jail officials received a report last week about a 6-inch sharpened piece of metal had been used to threaten a man in one of the inmate units, Corrections Department Chief Robert Guerrero told the Herald.
Guerrero described the unit as a medium security housing area for suspects facing local charges and inmates being held for the U.S. Marshals Service.
Makeshift knives aren’t a rare occurrence in the jail. Inmates will try to sharpen pencils or toothbrushes to be like a knife. Guerrero said these fall apart when people try to use them, but a sharpened piece of metal would be more dangerous.
Because of the potential for an officer or inmate to be injured, the 48 inmates in the housing unit were locked down in their sleeping areas and restricted from leaving their cells for more than 15 minutes a day. Normally, they have three hours a day in common areas.
Guerrero said the suspects that were questioned, claimed the piece of metal was flushed down a toilet, but a search of the plumbing traps came up empty.
They also searched the men using a body scanner but didn’t find the makeshift weapon.
Officers also didn’t find any missing pieces of metal from furniture in the cells.
Hunger strike
When jail officials decided to restrict movement of the inmates inside the unit, one group felt it was unfair, and a number of them went on a hunger strike.
It’s unknown how many were involved in the initial protest.
The Tri-City Herald received a report from an inmate’s family member that it involved about 20 people who had missed five meals.
But Guerrero said the protest was short lived and the entire group only skipped eating dinner on Friday night.
The number of protesters dropped over the course of the weekend and by Saturday at lunch everyone had returned to eating. And the men still had access to the commissary service, which allows inmates to buy snack food.
He said no one in the housing unit was on a medical watch.
“Since it started on Thursday, there may been five people who missed two meals,” he said.
While the weapon hadn’t been found, jail staff planned to ease the restrictions.
Guerrero said officials don’t like to keep the inmates restricted for too long because it cuts them off from contact with families and can cause more problems.
