Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Hunger Strikes for Movement Lawyering in Prisons
By: Helen C. Malley
ABSTRACT. As the practice of movement lawyering grows across the country, attorneys and organizers alike are increasingly evaluating how to engage in such advocacy in carceral environments. This Note endeavors to address that question by examining lawyers’ historical role in prisoner hunger strikes, one of the most common forms of collective action in prison. Organizing its analysis around the four principal components of a strike—empowerment, communication, impact, and solidarity—it identifies several promising practices for future movement lawyers seeking to support social movements in prisons.