Hierarchy in women's prisons
The relationships between women serving sentences in prisons differ quite seriously from those prevailing in men's prisons. There is almost no struggle for leadership here. In each cell there is a ward, and she has assistants. They have a number of privileges. So, the eldest sleeps in a “glade” - a bed that does not have a second tier. Her responsibilities include maintaining order, training new recruits, and so on. The woman who has the greatest authority can become the eldest, the one who has served a sentence for a long time and knows all the rules, a repeat offender, or chosen as a leader by her fellow inmates.
The woman with the greatest authority can become the eldest in her cell // Photo: Exzk.ru
“When I got into the cell, they took me to the eldest - the old gypsy Bella. She showed me where I would sleep and told me about the procedures. Bella generally did not get involved in any conflicts, but if necessary, she could hit her in the face with an iron mug, and those quarreling would instantly calm down,” recalls one of the former prisoners
.
"Zechki" are divided into families.
They do this on their own, finding friends with similar interests. Members of such “families” support each other, celebrate holidays together, cook, give each other gifts, intercede, and so on. In order not to create unnecessary problems for themselves, prison officials try to distribute women among cells so that they end up “with their own.” That is, accountants sit with accountants, “collective farm women” with “collective farm women,” and so on. The only exceptions are accomplices. They must be seated in different cells.
In women's colonies, who a woman was before she went to prison is of great importance. In addition, attention is drawn to what kind of food she eats - her own or prison food, how often she has visitors, what place she occupied in society when she was free, and so on. But at the same time, the girl’s personality also plays an important role.
In women's colonies, it is of great importance who a woman was before she went to prison // Photo: Visper.org.ua
Archive number No. 21 (451) dated May 27, 2003 - News
WOMEN'S SHARE
Don’t swear off prison and scrip. This is folk wisdom that you can’t argue with. It has long been known how zones ruin people’s lives. Only in most cases the conversation is about men. What is it like for women there? It was this question that interested us when we tried to find former prisoners.
Path to the zone
Only Olga Serebryakova agreed to talk with us: “Come on! I have nothing to hide." A 36-year-old woman served three years for the murder of her husband (she was sentenced to four years, but was released early for good behavior). Olga speaks reluctantly about how this happened, trying not to go into details.
In 1997, Olga was 31 years old. Husband, two children. It cannot be said that the family was happy - the husband drank. Yes, not just, but I didn’t come out of the binge.
“For eleven years I endured my husband’s antics,” says Olga. “At first he came and went straight to bed, but in recent years he began to show who’s boss. He picked on the children, beat them, and I stood up for them. Naturally, he took out all his anger on me. He beat me brutally, half to death. At the age of 30, I no longer had teeth, and my joints still hurt. Naturally, I wrote a statement to the police. He was even given a year's probation. In the end, we divorced, but continued to live together - the notorious housing problem. That day he came home drunk as always. More nagging and fighting. I still can’t understand where I got the strength from: I threw him onto the bed and tied him with a rope by the neck to the backrest. Not too much, but so that he just can’t get up, I think he’ll sleep it off and calm down. She grabs the children and leaves the apartment. When we returned a few hours later, he was already dead. He was practically sitting on the floor, the rope cut into his neck - he was trying to get up. I was accused of premeditated murder and sent straight from the courtroom to a pre-trial detention center.
Olga was kept there for about a month. She says it was the worst and hardest thing. In a cell designed for 14 people, there were 25. At first we had to sleep on the floor, on an old mattress - there weren’t enough places.
– There was no such thing as they show in the movies: “Your place is near the bucket” or any kind of lice check. But the attitude of the guards is truly terrible. We, the convicts, are not people for them. As soon as you end up in a pre-trial detention center, you become just a faceless mass.
A month later, Olga went through the stage. She had to sit in a Samara colony. It took a week to get to the place, traveling in a “Stolypin” carriage, which was attached to a passenger train. The carriage itself is divided into several compartments, between which there are metal partitions. Instead of doors there are bars. Windows are only on one side.
- How did they take you to the toilet?
– Once, maximum twice a day. And not when you ask, but when you start screaming. I had to endure it until it hurt, until I cried. Then they could take pity and take him out. Some women, for whom this was not the first time, took plastic bags with them, which they “walked” in, and then threw them away.
After distribution, Olga ended up in the so-called industrial zone, where they sewed camouflage suits for the military and police. After working there for several months, she ended up in the cafeteria. It was considered a very good place. First Olga washed the dishes, and then cut the bread.
“This position had a salary,” says the interlocutor, “so I hoped that by the end of the term I would get a decent amount.” In general, a prisoner's earnings are divided by four. And the fourth part is the income, so to speak, of the convicted person, the rest goes to the colony. So, recently I earned 64 rubles a month.
Looking ahead, let's say that in 3 years Olga received a little more than five hundred rubles - not even enough for the trip home.
Bread cake
Olga’s detachment consisted of 80 people. In total, there were about one and a half thousand prisoners in the colony. They transferred 18-year-olds from juvenile detention; there was also a 70-year-old grandmother who was imprisoned for murder. Recently they began to bring in women with AIDS. They were housed in a special barracks and fed separately. In general, food is a special topic in the zone. They seemed to be fed, but the prisoners constantly felt hungry. Naturally, theft flourished in the dining room. The prisoners wanted literally everything: meat, sugar, cereals. Naturally, sooner or later the thieves were caught and punished. According to Olga, at first they were fed disgustingly. The main dish is barley with meat. But it was impossible to eat. “Just imagine,” the woman laments. - You stir this mess, and there are worms. Either the barley disappeared, or the meat was rotten, I don’t know...” And in the last two years, the food has become more or less tolerable. For lunch - first course, second course, compote. Patients (tuberculosis patients, diabetics) were given a glass of milk and a boiled egg once a week.
“We had our own kitchen in the detachment,” says Olga. “You could cook yourself some delicacy there.” So, very often they fried bread. But not just like that, but according to a special recipe. A little sugar is diluted in water, soda is added. Bread was dipped into this syrup and fried in sunflower oil. The croutons turned out fluffy and soft. And on holidays, New Year, for example, they made cakes. Black bread was cut lengthwise to create cakes that were coated with either condensed milk or a diluted dry drink (Yupi, for example). This is delicious.
Love and jealousy
Most of the women from our squad served sentences for distribution, transportation, and use of drugs,” says Olga. – Samara, Tolyatti – drug addiction is very common in these cities. But there were no shameful articles, as in men's colonies (for rape, for example). Only thieves were not respected, because they could steal from their own. And they stole, by the way. Naturally, a fight immediately began, a showdown: they would grab each other’s hair, scratch their faces. Lesbians often got into fights. We had enough of these in our squad. But in the zone they are completely different than in ordinary life. A woman who has taken on the role of a man is called a kobla or male in the zone. His (her?) girlfriend is a picker. But for them it was insulting. So the males took male names, cut their hair short, and tried to speak in a deep voice. In general, they turned into men: their gait changed, even their facial features became rougher. Naturally, the roles of such couples were strictly distributed. The problem of kobly is to get or buy tea and some products. But his (her?) girlfriend must prepare all this and set the table. There was no courtship, as happens between a man and a woman. Everything is reserved and dry. By the way, no one was raped there or forced to have sex. Everything happened by mutual consent.
There was another problem in the colony - clothing. If men are given robes, then women wear what they were given. Only in winter were they given padded jackets and tarpaulin boots. They also gave out underwear: just panties for a year.
“It was very difficult for those who did not receive the parcels,” Olga recalls. “As a rule, such people became “sixes.” They themselves approached those who were richer and offered to do laundry and cook something. We paid them with cigarettes (by the way, only 8 packs per person per month), tea, and used linen. Naturally, we were not given any hygiene supplies. We had to solve these problems ourselves: old skirts and dresses were used.
Now Olga works as a salesperson. She has a new family. The son and daughter live with their grandmother. “They were 10 and 11 years old when I was imprisoned,” Olga sighs heavily. – The most difficult age, and they were left without a father and mother. When I returned, they, of course, were happy to see me, but I felt that the old relationship between us would no longer exist. The children somehow grew up quickly and moved away from me. Now I look at them, and I see how much of their father is in them: just as impulsive, explosive. I’m afraid for them, but I can’t fix anything.”
Marina WEBER
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Conflicts and love
As a rule, conflicts in women's prisons and colonies do not lead to a fight, but end in a raised voice.
But if a fight does break out, it is usually particularly cruel. Without a compelling reason, prisoners try not to enter into conflict, since the culprit will most likely be quickly identified and severely punished, as well as everyone else. But as for love, the information here is quite contradictory. In most cases, romantic relationships are started by girls who end up in prison not for the first time - “second-timers.” Women in a couple support each other. If they suddenly find themselves in different cells, they will do everything to reunite. Usually, inmates and older are normal towards lesbian couples and do not create any obstacles for them. The administration often adheres to the same policy.
Romantic relationships are started by girls who end up in prison not for the first time // Photo: Rambler.ru
At the same time, love relationships between prisoners and pre-trial detention center or prison employees of the opposite sex are not uncommon. Girls agree to have sex with law enforcement officers for the sake of certain privileges, as well as in order to make their life in the “zone” easier and more enjoyable.
“The best thing is to become the opera’s mistress. Many people strive for this,” a former prisoner told reporters
.
Everything about life in the women's area (suits, cobbles and pickers, chickens, everyday life, children)
How men serve their sentences in prison is spelled out down to the smallest detail.
Women's prison also has its own characteristics, but this topic is inferior to men's in terms of information content. We will try to present the life of women prisoners simply, without forcing it as it is. It all starts with the pre-trial detention center. You must remain in a pre-trial detention center until the sentence comes into force. For a beginner, this is a serious test, but rather a moral one. What is shown in films, how new arrivals are greeted by beating, raping, and having their things taken away, by and large, does not correspond to reality. But there is definitely stress, persistent anxiety, tension from the unknown and awareness of oneself in a new status. The cell is divided into three rooms, there are no doors between them. Each room has 21 bunk beds, which means 42 beds. In the best case, there may be a nightstand next to the bed, welded to the floor, where acceptable personal items can be stored. In the worst case, the property is put into bags. Toilet, room for eating, folding window - “stern”.
Leisure
Women's prisons often host a variety of concerts, events, and even real beauty contests.
Typically, prisoners are happy to take part in them, since it allows them to take their mind off work and feel part of society. “Some even manage to do their hair, manicure, and pedicure in their cells. It really lifts your spirits,” a former prisoner shares her memories.
A special position in a women's prison or colony is occupied by women who are there with children. Many of these children were born in captivity. Conditions are created for women in labor so that they can care for the child. Upon reaching the age of three, the baby is given to the prisoner’s relatives. If they are not there, then the baby is sent to an orphanage.
Despite the fact that women's prisons are considered fairly quiet places, and the fair sex commit fewer violent crimes, there is a lot of cruelty in the women's “zone.” Those who are imprisoned for infanticide are considered the lowest caste. They are humiliated and beaten in every possible way. Those who enjoy greater benefits than others or are about to be released are also treated harshly.
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Voluntary-forced snitching
Detention center operatives always need “their” people who will bring the information they need. As a rule, an unspoken leader who is capable of influencing the opinion of the majority is chosen to play the role of informer. It is not difficult for such a person to gain the trust of his cellmate and find out the information the operative needs. There is no need to clarify that such a contingent is not welcome in prison.
Those who do not cooperate receive special treatment. Refusal naturally results in punishment. For example, this method is often used. Having learned that an intractable prisoner has received a long-awaited package, the operative may decide that the woman must be urgently transferred to a cell at the opposite end of the floor, no matter for what reason.
She is ordered to collect her numerous things, as well as those just received from the outside, and with all this heavy belongings, weighing about 50 kg in total. she begins to move from cell to cell, from floor to floor.
Another way to put pressure on a prisoner is to punish fellow inmates. The reaction of many, taking into account different ages and positions, can be unpredictable. They cooperate mainly because of concessions from the regime, because of the need for certain things, and also out of fear. The information obtained from the “informers” is used in the case of the desired prisoner, while the source of the information is not disclosed. It is impossible to imagine something like this in men. For male prisoners, life revolves around one or another “authority,” thanks to which the team becomes united, and the administration has to take this into account. It costs nothing for the “authority” to use the prison mail (“dear”) to stir up or calm down all the cells.
There is no such coordination among women in a team, which means that any one individual is easy prey for the manipulation of operatives.
As soon as a document arrives confirming that the verdict has entered into legal force, the woman is notified to pack her things. Nobody tells her where they are sending her, how long the journey will take, or what to take with her. A new period begins, painful in its uncertainty. With her things, the woman goes to the “assembly”, a place where prisoners gather for departure, each in their own direction. A paddy wagon arrives and takes them to the station. There the women are transferred to the “Stolypin” carriage. The carriage is hooked to the train and off we go. Throughout the journey, roll call takes place several times a day, women are constantly searched for prohibited items, they repeatedly have to undress and put on clothes again, empty the contents of their bags, which immediately need to be collected immediately.
Zone. Cobbles and Pickers.
New arrivals at the zone are greeted with a medical examination and given clothes to wear for the entire term. Now, upon request, a woman is obliged to state her last name, first name, patronymic, year of birth, article and term of serving the sentence.
Until 2003, women in the zone only partially adhered to the “concepts.” They did not like informers and punished them in every possible way; it was shameful to cooperate with the administration. After 2003 the situation changed. They began to approach the administration not so much with substantive complaints, but also with ordinary denunciations, thereby earning themselves encouragement. The informers began to be protected by the colony staff; minor violations, to which the authorities simply turned a blind eye, were acceptable.
Prison life
In prison, a woman has little opportunity to defend her rights, while the pressure from the administration is enormous. Almost everyone works, it makes time pass faster, and the extra money doesn’t hurt.
The prison store has a limited selection and is often overpriced. The lack of quality food quickly affects the health of prisoners. Losing teeth and losing your stomach is elementary. You can only count on transfers from relatives, but it is not a fact that they will fall into your hands in the proper form. There is no use in complaining; letters and calls are read and listened to.
There is plenty of work in the zone. The main work is sewing. The sewing factory is located in a hangar, in which machines stand one after another. Each performs its own operation within the framework of the general order. If for some reason you cannot cope with your work, then you slow down all the work. Accordingly, no one will understand and help you. Instead, swearing and punches are expected. Being under stress, as a rule, many still quickly master the necessary operation. Some prisoners are sent to work related to servicing the zone. For example, to the technical control department, where products are checked for defects. Carpenters, librarians, mechanics, foremen - these are the places where women from the garment factory strive to get. Not many people can stand the monotonous sewing work.
A number of positions are reserved exclusively for people with higher education, for example, in the social security department. Often, FSIN employees are not able to cope with their work due to lack of knowledge and experience. In such cases, all the work is done for them by competent prisoners for a meager part-time salary and, again, for loyalty. The FSIN officers themselves receive their salaries as expected. That is why “smart” prisoners are so valuable to them, and that is why they are so rarely released on parole.
Thus, years pass in the struggle to minimize discomfort in prison conditions. For some, a couple of years, for others, dozens. Man is designed in such a way that he gets used to any existence, even an unbearable one, but at the same time he lives in hope for the best. And it seems that the best is behind bars. And at the end it turns out that the difficulties do not end, but a new round of them begins.
