A coordinated strike started last week by inmates protesting conditions at Georgia prisons has kept Hays State Prison in Trion and three other state facilities in lockdown.

The facility was in lockdown on Dec. 12, Dec. 13 and 14 said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Peggy Chapman.

An employee, who would not identify himself, told the Rome News-Tribune that the facility would resume normal procedures at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. However, Chapman said that information was false and that the lockdown continues.

Georgia’s 26 other state prisons are operating under normal conditions.

The list of demands ranged from a living wage for work and “decent” health care to nutritious meals and access to their families.

Chapman said officials are continuing to assess the status of the facility and the lockdown will continue until an internal investigation and security assessment are completed.

“The department will ensure appropriate safety measures are in place before the lockdown is lifted,” Commissioner Brian Owens said in a statement on Dec. 13.

Attempts by the Rome News-Tribune to contact Hays State Prison Warden Clay Tatum on Monday were unsuccessful.

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Posted Dec. 12

A coordinated strike started last week by inmates protesting conditions at Georgia prisons has not affected the Floyd County Prison, but Hays State Prison in Trion remained locked down on Dec. 12.

Floyd County Warden Jeff Chandler said there have been no problems at the local facility on Black’s Bluff Road.

“We’re in good shape,” he said Dec. 12. “We had intelligence about a month before that it was going to happen, and we were looking to see if there were any tell-tale signs. There weren’t.”

A Hays State worker on duty Dec. 12 said officials authorized to comment on conditions there would not be available until Dec. 13. But the man, who would not give his name, said the prison is under control.

“There hasn’t been any violence; it’s all been peaceful. Everybody’s just confined to their cells,” he said.

A press release issued by supporters stated the strike is aimed at forcing the Georgia Department of Corrections to “stop treating them like animals and slaves and institute programs that address their basic human rights.”

The list of demands ranged from a living wage for work and “decent” health care to nutritious meals and access to their families.

A spokesman for the DOC could not be reached Dec. 12.