Little information is published on prisons; it is one of the hidden regions of our social system, one of the black squares of our lives. We have the right to know, we want to know. That’s why, with magistrates, lawyers, journalists, doctors, psychologists, we formed a Prison Information Group.
We propose to let people know what the prison is:
 - who goes there
 - how and why they go
 - what happens there
 - what is the life of the prisoners
 - what is the surveillance staff
 - what are the buildings, the food, the hygiene
 - how the rules of procedure, the medical control, the workshops work
 - how we come out of it
 - what it is in our society to be one of those who came out of it
This information is not in the official reports that we will find them. We ask those who, in any capacity, have experience of prison or a relationship with it. We ask them to contact us and tell us what they know. A questionnaire has been written that we can ask. As soon as they are numerous enough, the results will be published.
JM. Domenach, M. Foucault, P. Vidal-Naquet, Manifeste du G.I.P., 1971
From Dits Ecrits volume II: In September 1970, and again in January 1971, the imprisoned activists went on hunger strike to be recognized as political prisoners, a status that entailed certain rights of assembly. They also wish to draw attention to the penitentiary system.
