State: 4 inmates on hunger strike at supermax prison in Youngstown

COLUMBUS (AP) - A prisons department spokeswoman says four inmates are on a hunger strike at Ohio's highest-security prison.

JoEllen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, declined to comment specifically today on the issues surrounding the hunger strike at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. The facility is located on state Route 616 on the city's East Side.

But through a spokesman, two of the inmates claim a new warden wants to arbitrarily take away most of their property, including books and music. They say they are demanding improved conditions.

The inmates' spokesman said the hunger strike started last week.

The prison houses a few high-security death row inmates, including members of the Lucasville 5, convicted of having roles in a deadly 1993 prison riot.