Inmates at a federal prison in northeastern Kentucky have refused two meals but officials say they aren't sure why. The inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution-Ashland in Summit turned away lunch and evening meals on Wednesday. The warden's executive assistant, David Brewer, told The Ashland Independent newspaper the prison is operating on a status just below lockdown, with inmates confined to their cells at all times other than for meals.
Brewer says he didn't know exactly how many inmates had boycotted the meals, but he said it was "quite a few." It was unclear if the inmates were still refusing meals Thursday or Friday.
Brewer wouldn't describe the situation as a hunger strike because inmates refusing to eat in the dining hall still had access to food from the prison commissary.