A Step By Step Approach to the Hunger Games

So the Detention Deputies call medical and say that there is a certain inmate who has not eaten anything for the last four days.  Not an unusual occurrence in my experience; in fact, we medical providers most often hear about Hunger Games participants in this way, sometimes several days into their fast.  At this point, we do not know if this is a real fast (maybe the inmate is gaming), a true suicide-by-starvation patient, some who is just dieting to lose weight, or a psychotic inmate.  Today I would like to go through a step-by-step approach to the Hunger Games participants. Continue reading

The Hunger Games–Corrections Style

I have two patients in my jails right now who are not eating.  When I was told about these patients, the term “Hunger Strike” was used, as in “We have a new patient on a hunger strike.”  However, “Hunger Strike” does not seem to be the right term to me for these two patients.   I prefer “Hunger Games” for the majority of the patients who stop eating for awhile.  “Hunger Strike” evokes memories of people like Bobby Sands.

I am old enough to remember when Bobby Sands starved himself to death. Continue reading