An incarcerated Ohioan is on his third week of a hunger strike, protesting illicit drugs inside the state prison system.
Jacky Robinson, Jr., of Akron, stopped eating July 24. He is in the infirmary at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.
In a phone call, Robinson said he's lost about 22 pounds, has chest and low back pain and numbness in his arm, is dehydrated and has had low blood pressure readings. Prison officials have urged him to stop the strike but have not taken steps to meet his demands, he said.
"This is a peaceful demonstration. I'm not breaking any rules. They just don't respect it," he said.
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said officials are following prison policy, which
calls for monitoring hunger strikers and providing involuntary medical treatment "before death or serious, irreversible damage to life systems or major organs occurs."
This is the second time Robinson has staged a hunger strike to protest what he sees asa failure by Ohio DRC to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the state prisons. Robinson wants to launch a program for prisoners to raise awareness of the dangers of K2, which is drug-soaked paper.
The highly addictive drug is smuggled in by staff and visitors, tossed over fences and dropped in by drones. Wide-ranging and unpredictable side effects include vomiting, twitching, convulsing, aggression, psychosis and sometimes death.
An investigation by The Marshall Project - Cleveland, The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer and Akron Beacon Journal found Ohio has spent tens of millions of tax dollars on tighter security, including taller perimeter fences, anti-drone technology and the electronic delivery of mail. Yet an unknown number of employees and contractors continue to sneak significant amounts of drugs inside with little consequence. Workers suspected of smuggling often resigned without facing charges, records showed.
Robinson said in addition to a program on the dangers of K2, he wants to be transferred to a different prison. He believes employees at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility will retaliate against him for speaking out against the drug problems.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio prisoner's hunger strike stretches 22 days
