Self-harm as a form of resistance in the juvenile detention center Jugendhaus Halle in the 1980s

While suicide attempts expressed despair, hunger strikes were frequent among political prisoners protesting their sentences and demanding freedom of movement. Self-harm as a resistance was largely ineffective and met with punitive measures. The idea of "nonviolent" resistance through self-harm is controversial, as it involves harming one's own body and often provokes further violence by prison authorities.