We come across a lot of prison actions working on this site, which almost always means a hunger strike by inmates. There is often little else that prisoners can do to protest their treatment given the circumstances.
A recent story from The Telegraph, that could literally have appeared as a spoof in The Onion, tells the story of one unnamed prisoner in Sweden who has taken a different tact. Read and enjoy:
Anders Eriksson, the prison’s warden, realised that the inmate’s repeated episodes of flatulence were “a series of concerted attacks” on staff.
[…]
The apparent motive came to light a couple of weeks ago when the prisoner was playing cards with fellow inmates.
“I had an upset stomach while I was playing cards but did not want to fart there. So I went over to the guards instead,” the 21-year-old convict told the prison authorities.
When challenged over his behaviour and summoned for questioning, the prisoner claimed that his “farts were all noise and no fragrance”.
He has been served with an official warning that future flatulent conduct towards prison guards will be punished.
What a terrible protest! I’ve met some very decent correctional officers – people who went into the business in the spirit of public service. As a former prison GED tutor, I worked with COs who made sure we had pencils and books and scrap paper. I’ve met plenty of jerks, too, who barked at prisoners and referred to them by their numbers. But regardless, being a CO is a difficult job and I don’t envy it one bit. Their welfare is crucial to the whole “rehabilitation” project. This protest of personal attack also does nothing to confront the real issues of U.S. mass incarceration.
I’m in total agreement with you. I thought that if I was to seriously analyze it, I would have to be pretty critical. I just thought the way it was written up was humorous.
Holler.