Gallazawar fursunonin da ake tsare da su a Amurka ba a ketare a kasashen ketare ba. Fiye da makonni biyu, fursunonin da ke gidan yarin Pelican Bay na jihar California, ke yajin cin abinci, don nuna rashin amincewarsu da irin azabar da ake samu a cikin Sashin Gidajen Tsaro (SHU) da ke can. An tsare fursunonin na tsawon shekaru a gidan yari, wanda zai iya kai ga azabtarwa. Dubban fursunoni a duk fadin gidan yarin California sun ki abinci don hadin kai da fursunonin Pelican Bay, wanda ya kawo adadin masu yajin yunwa sama da 1,700.
Fursunonin da ke cikin SHU ana tsare su a cikin sel na sa'o'i 22 ½ a rana, galibi don dacewar gudanarwa. Ana sakin su na sa'a ɗaya kawai don tafiya a cikin ƙaramin yanki mai tsayin bango. Kwayoyin da ke cikin SHU suna da ƙafa takwas da ƙafa 10 ba tare da tagogi ba. Ana yawan kiyaye fitilun fulawa akan sa'o'i 24 a kowace rana.
Keɓe kai kaɗai na iya haifar da ruɗi, catatonia har ma da kashe kansa, musamman a fursunoni masu tabin hankali. Ana ɗaukar azabtarwa, kamar yadda ɗan jarida Lance Tapley yayi bayani a cikin babinsa akan gidajen yarin Amurkawa na Supermax a Amurka da azabtarwa: Tambayoyi, Tsari, da Zagi.
Hukumar Kula da Kariya da Cin Hanci da Rashawa a Gidan Yarin Amurka (CSAAP), wadda tsohon babban lauyan Amurka kuma tsohon babban alkali na Kotun Daukaka Kara ta Amurka ke jagoranta, ta gano cewa: “Mutanen da ba su da wata barazana ta gaske ga kowa da kuma waɗanda suke da hannu a ciki. masu tabin hankali suna fama na tsawon watanni ko shekaru a cikin manyan cibiyoyin tsaro.” Hukumar ta kuma bayyana cewa, "A wasu wuraren, muhallin yana da muni sosai, ta yadda mutane ke zama a kebe gaba daya, suna killace a wurare masu haske ko da yaushe ba tare da wata ma'ana mai ma'ana ba - yanayin azabtarwa da aka tabbatar yana haifar da tabarbarewar tunani."
Fursunonin da ke wasu gidajen yarin California sun ba da rahoton cewa ana hana magunguna da suka hada da na cutar hawan jini da wasu munanan yanayi daga fursunonin da ke yajin aiki. "Al'amarin ya kasance mai tsanani kuma cikin gaggawa," a cewar Carol Strickman, lauyan gamayyar hadin gwiwar Fursunoni Hunger Strike Solidarity. "Muna fafutukar hana mace-mace da yawa a Pelican Bay. CDCR [Ma'aikatar Gyara da Gyaran California] na buƙatar tattaunawa da waɗannan fursunonin, da kuma girmama buƙatar shugabannin yajin aikin don samun damar shiga tsakani na waje don tabbatar da cewa duk wata tattaunawa tana cikin aminci."
Ɗaya daga cikin buƙatun yajin cin abinci shine kawo ƙarshen "tsarin zance" a Pelican Bay. An tilasta wa fursunonin suna sunayen kansu ko kuma wasu da ke tayar da zaune tsaye a matsayin sharadi na samun abinci ko sakin su daga keɓe. Sanya sunayen wasu a matsayin ’yan kungiyar da kansa ya kai hukuncin kisa saboda ramuwar gayya da wasu fursunoni suka yi.
A watan Mayu, Kotun Kolin Amurka ta amince da hukuncin da wata karamar kotu ta yanke cewa dauri a gidajen yarin California ya zama zalunci da ba a saba da tsarin mulki ba.
Marjorie Cohn farfesa ce a fannin shari'a a Makarantar Shari'a ta Thomas Jefferson kuma edita, kwanan nan, na Amurka da azabtarwa: Interrogation, Incarceration, and Abuse (NYU Press).