Episodes of voluntary total fasting (hunger strike) in Spanish prisons: A descriptive analysis

Alia, C; Antolín, J.M.; Antón, JJ; Casado-Hoces, S.V.; Ramírez, Julio César Castellanos; Davoodzadhe, G.; Andrés, Boris; Juan, José de; Escribano, M.; Faraco, Italo Medeiros; Ferrer, V.; Gallego, C; García-Guerrero, J; Vera-Remartínez, E.J.; García-Valencia, E.; Herrero, A Rolando; Jiménez-Gala'n, G; Llanos, Muñoz; López-Burgos, A.; López-Urcelay, C.; Mallo, Alfrida; Marco, A; Martínez-Cordero, A.; Mora, Amanda Noemí Jiménez; Moreno, Rodriguez; Peña, Carlos; Pérez-Valenzuela, A.; Planella, Ramón; Quiñonero, J.; Ruiz, Fernando; Hoya, Pablo Saíz de la; Teixidó, Núria; Vasallo, LC; Yllobre, C

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2015.06.011

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…A common reason for protesting appears to be related to perceptions of fairness. Some prisoners engaging in food refusal believed that sentences/judicial decisions were unfair (Erkul, 2020; Garcia-Guerrero and Vera-Remartinez, 2015; Levine, 1984; Miller, 1986); some believed that they were being unfairly treated within custody and that policies/practices being carried out by prison/custodial staff were illegal (Camacho, 2017; Reeves et al , 2017; Garcia-Guerrero and Vera-Remartinez, 2015); and some prisoners were protesting about the conditions of the prison environment (Camacho, 2017; Ansbacher, 1983). In a number of articles, prisoners were described as protesting to claim their innocence (Erkul, 2020; Camacho, 2017; Larkin, 1991; Garsaic and Foster, 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of food refusal as a way of obtaining outcomes was described in 8 of the 13 articles. Typically, this appeared to be related to wanting transfers to other prisons for reasons such as being closer to family (Erkul, 2020; Reeves et al , 2017; Larkin, 1991; Ansbacher, 1983; Kleinman, 1986), wanting better care or provisions for services (Erkul, 2020; Garcia-Guerrero and Vera-Remartinez, 2015) and wanting responses from prison/custodial staff regarding issues they have raised (Ansbacher, 1983; Durmaz, et al , 2020; Miller, 1986). In one article, the prisoner in question initiated his food refusal because he perceived that prison staff had broken his wheelchair and demanded that they fix it (Alempijevic et al , 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most common theme was that of food refusal as a form of protest. Most typically, this was triggered by feelings of unfairness about their sentence or judicial decisions, the way they were treated and prison conditions (Erkul, 2020; Garcia-Guerrero and Vera-Remartinez, 2015; Levine, 1984; Miller, 1986; Camacho, 2017; Reeves et al , 2017; Ansbacher, 1983). This provides some more recent research regarding this as a possible function.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most incidents of food refusal are said to be short-lived (Garcia-Guerrero and Vera-Remartinez, 2015). In spite of this, there has been a long history of food refusal in many detention settings throughout the world that has resulted in deaths (Department of Health, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The function of food refusal in male prisons and custodial environments. A rapid evidence assessment (REA)

Adlam,

Powell

2023

JFP

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Purpose This rapid evidence assessment (REA) study aims to synthesise what is known about food refusal within male prison populations to aid a better understanding of why this occurs. By looking at the various functions of food refusal for this population, it is hoped that professionals can better support prisoners’ needs in this area. Design/methodology/approach A rapid review of available data within the published literature was completed. Searches were conducted on two databases (PsychInfo and MedLine), and a total of 328 articles were screened using a three-stage process. This resulted in 13 articles being identified for the final sample, which were reviewed and synthesised into themes by looking for commonalities. Findings Five themes were identified: “to protest”, “to achieve goals or demands”, “to manage interpersonal difficulties with prison/custodial staff”, “to end life” and “mental health and personality disorder”. The findings appear to suggest that food refusal in this context may be predominantly driven by a need to communicate or gain control. Practical implications To help prevent and cease food refusal, it will be beneficial for prison staff to use approaches that support prisoners feeling a sense of fairness, transparency, control and autonomy, as well as problem-solving skills and establishing a sense of purpose and motivation. Originality/value This REA confirmed there is a lack of good-quality research into the functions of food refusal among prisoners in the UK. Future research should involve contact with prisoners who have engaged in food refusal to understand motivations firsthand.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The function of food refusal in male prisons and custodial environments. A rapid evidence assessment (REA)

Adlam,

Powell

2023

JFP

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“…They can make use of established clinical guidelines, have enough medical equipment and access to laboratory analysis and radiological imaging. Usually the number of hunger strikers is limited and their medical history is known to the staff ( 10 , 13 – 24 ). They will be confronted with the problem of divided loyalty.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Sympathy, Fascination, and Powerlessness. The Experiences of Health Professionals During the Medical Monitoring of a Hunger Strike Among Undocumented Migrants

Vanobberghen

Lafaut

Louckx

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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In 2014, a group of undocumented migrants started a hunger strike in Brussels. The medical monitoring was mainly done by young, committed health professionals with no prior experience of medical monitoring of people on hunger strike. Following the hunger strike, two focus groups were organized to assess the experiences of the health professionals during the medical monitoring of the hunger strike. Their main motivation for assisting was wanting to help the people on hunger strike but they were also curious about the living conditions among undocumented migrants and the reasons behind starting the strike. They were puzzled by the paradox of hunger strikers putting their life at risk in order to get a better life and obtain a residence permit. They felt conflicted about their own role as a caregiver: they did not know how to deal with patients who did not comply with medical advice, they struggled to build a relationship of mutual trust and feared that they would end up being instrumentalized by the hunger strikers or their environment. Afterwards, some of the health professionals were deeply touched by the experience and there were reports of symptoms of secondary traumatic stress such as re-experiencing and avoidance. During the focus group's discussions, the respondents made suggestions on how to improve the medical monitoring in the event of any future hunger strikes.

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Starvation

Weissman¹,

Hashem²

2020

Surgical Metabolism

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Episodes of voluntary total fasting (hunger strike) in Spanish prisons: A descriptive analysis

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

The function of food refusal in male prisons and custodial environments. A rapid evidence assessment (REA)

The function of food refusal in male prisons and custodial environments. A rapid evidence assessment (REA)

Between Sympathy, Fascination, and Powerlessness. The Experiences of Health Professionals During the Medical Monitoring of a Hunger Strike Among Undocumented Migrants

Starvation

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