Colony for minors - conditions of detention and types of regime

Correctional colonies for minor girls are considered a special category of correctional and educational institutions.

Unfortunately, child crime continues to be a big problem, and therefore special colonies operate, but are under the vigilant control of relevant human rights organizations. They establish a special regime taking into account the characteristics of adolescent psychology.

General information

As a rule, juvenile offenders who, having been convicted, have committed another intentional crime, end up in a correctional colony. Also, this measure of correctional punishment applies to those transferred from light or, conversely, strict regime.

It is important to understand that children often do not fully understand the consequences of their actions, following the path of trial and error. In the absence of parental control, this often leads to disastrous consequences - minors become criminals and end up in a colony.

In this case, not only punishment is necessary, but work to correct the child’s behavior. This is the main goal of educational colonies.

Teen crime statistics

The statistics of juvenile correctional facilities for juvenile delinquents are disappointing - the percentage of offenses for which teenagers serve their sentences is approximately the following:

About 16% of all crimes committed by minors are classified as theft of property, valuables or other things that a certain person has by right of ownership.
About 15% of convicts are serving time for robbery, raids on people, organizations, shops, banks, etc.
Causing harm to health makes up 11% of the total number of crimes. The main difference is the intentionality of the action.
10% of crimes committed are murders, sometimes carried out with cruelty.
8% of juvenile offenders committed rape .

Among those convicted of crimes, as a rule, every fifth person has already been convicted of another offense, that is, relapse among teenagers who have stumbled is a common occurrence.

Repetition of the crime follows soon, usually almost immediately if the first offense was serious .

What is a juvenile correctional facility?

In essence, a children's educational colony is a variant of a correctional colony, with a regime similar to that in institutions for adult criminals. But the age of the prisoners and the need to apply a special approach to them related to the process of forming the child’s personality are taken into account. Specifically, such an approach should pursue the following goals:

instill the habit of coexisting peacefully with other people;
learn to evaluate yourself in comparison with other prisoners;
provide education within the framework of basic standards and additional classes of interest;
teach skills that can help you earn a living without breaking the law;
to involve in public life through creativity and amateur performances.

Who are they for?

In juvenile detention centers, girls and boys are kept separately. There are only two women's colonies in Russia, and 21 men's colonies.

The court sends people to such colonies for committing crimes specified in a special part of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In this case, they can be sent to a colony from the age of 14 if the court decides that the child’s living conditions and his environment are not conducive to his correction. Based on this, it will be recognized that a suspended sentence is inappropriate, but it is necessary to send him to an educational colony.

Modes

The regime in juvenile colonies differs from adult prisons. There are two main types:

General. It applies to all girls, regardless of relapse in their criminal behavior, as well as to boys who have committed a crime for the first time;
Reinforced. Applies to boys who are re-entered the colony.

Depending on the type of regime, the conditions of detention in an educational colony for children are determined.

Establishment for a new start

An educational colony is a type of special type of educational and correctional institution in the Russian Federation, intended for the detention of convicted citizens who have committed crimes, but are at that moment under the age of minority.

The re-educational period of stay in an institution of this type depends on the seriousness of the act committed by the teenager, as well as the behavior of the minor.

Often teenage criminals, who initially end up in such a colony for correction, later continue their correctional path in prison.

Conditions

The conditions are:

Are common;
Preferential.

Are common

When a teenager enters a colony, he is placed in general conditions. In this case, the teenager:

Lives in a barracks with other prisoners;
Participates in formations and movements around the territory of the colony together with other prisoners in an established routine;
He is under the supervision of colony workers.

If for a certain period the teenager does not have any violations of the regime, and also studies and works well, then he can be transferred to easier conditions. Specifically for this you need:

First-time convicts must serve three months of imprisonment;
Repeat offenders for at least six months;
For girls, three months is enough even in case of relapse.

Preferential

Another step in easing the detention regime is preferential conditions. If the teenager, after being transferred to lighter conditions, continues to comply with the requirements and does not allow their violations.

Preferential conditions are a kind of degree of trust of the colony administration in the prisoner. In this case, he can stay outside the walls of the colony and gradually become accustomed to life in freedom.

At the same time, the period of compliance with the regime, after which they can be transferred to preferential conditions of detention, is not specifically defined. Usually it corresponds to that in the case of a transfer from general to simplified conditions.

Violations of the established procedure, entailing consequences

The procedure for keeping juvenile offenders in an educational colony is established in order to maintain order among convicts, therefore its observance is mandatory.

The main malicious violations of the regime leading to transfer from a light, ordinary or preferential type of detention to a strict one are the following:

use of prohibited substances;
hooliganism towards the environment or interior items;
failure to comply with the requirements established by the management of the institution;
insulting administration representatives;
production, storage and use of prohibited items;
refusal of medical treatment determined by the court and which is mandatory;
organizing prohibited movements against the leadership of the organization;
refusal to work, which is a mandatory condition for staying in a colony.

Methods of enforcement for non-compliance with requirements

Some of the teenage offenders who ended up in an educational colony continue to behave inappropriately, grossly violating the regime established by the institution .

If such violations occur, the following methods of action are provided:

a reprimand is permissible if the violation is minor;
restriction or complete ban on viewing entertainment and feature films for a period of 1 month;
penalties of up to 2 minimum wages;
punishment through placement in solitary confinement;
transfer to strict conditions of detention.

Problems of such establishments

Of course, the declared goals of re-education of juvenile offenders are not always achieved. There are many problems associated with the work of children's educational colonies. Among them:

The persistent antisocial behavior of some teenagers, due to which they cannot be included in their studies, and their behavior among other prisoners is associated with constant conflicts. Often such criminals negatively influence other prisoners, and in the future join the ranks of repeat offenders in adult colonies;
After the maximum age at which one can stay in a juvenile colony was reduced from 21 to 19 years, the problem of low motivation of prisoners to comply with the regime arose. Because they understand the inevitability of ending up in adult prison and see no point in seeking reform;
Also, due to changes in the maximum age for detention in a children's colony, opportunities to obtain a profession were limited. This had a negative impact on the education of prisoners.

Direction of employee work

Educational work is a set of special measures applied to convicted minors in order to improve the teenager’s attitude towards the outside world, himself, and also positively influence his future destiny.

The work is aimed at providing adolescents with aesthetic, moral, and labor skills, as well as physical education.

The colony provides an opportunity for minor prisoners to acquire a certain profession within its walls, which will help them settle in and support themselves after release.

Among the teenagers who have stumbled, there are representatives from families called dysfunctional, in which family and moral values were never instilled. Therefore, holding personal conversations with juvenile offenders on such topics helps to show the teenager another side of life.

Accustoming teenagers to physical education in an educational colony helps to get rid of bad habits from which most pupils suffer.

The goals of a children's educational institution in relation to juvenile offenders are as follows:

Correction of existing harmful tendencies in the offender.
Preparing convicts for independent functioning without the support of educators.
Formation of the correct attitude towards the provisions of the law and labor.
Increasing education and culture.
Personnel training.

Methods used to encourage prisoners to develop

In order for the correction process to take place with minimal obstacles on the part of those being re-educated themselves, it is necessary to use some methods of encouragement that will make the process more enjoyable for adolescents.

Methods aimed at encouraging teenagers are allowed:

The right to attend sports and entertainment events outside an educational institution.
Condition: the teenager must be accompanied by employees, and only during the daytime.
The right to leave the boundaries of the institution to meet with parents and other close relatives. A nice plus is that you are allowed to go out in civilian clothes.
Possibility of transition from a strict type of content to a regular one. Prerequisite: transfer is possible only 3 months after arrival at the institution.

Modes and conditions of detention

In most colonies today, living conditions have improved. Large barracks were replaced by separate rooms, each containing 4-5 people. The rooms have a TV, refrigerator and desk. There are several showers in the corridor. It is also important that teenagers are not involved in duty, they only study or work.

Upon arrival at the colony, each prisoner undergoes a two-week quarantine. At this time, doctors examine him, he talks with a psychologist and gets used to the new place.

Schedule

A day in the colony lasts from 7 am to 10 pm. This is the rise and fall time, respectively.

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45 minutes are allotted for charging, making beds and inspection. Then an hour for breakfast. Next comes the divorce to work. At the same time, the work schedule is individual, since there are restrictions on the number of working hours for teenagers of different ages.

Also, the study schedule differs in different colonies, but usually all classes take place in the first half of the day.

From 13 to 14 lunch, after which there is an afternoon check. Educational activities until 17:30.

Dinner ends at 19:00, after which prisoners have an hour and a half of personal time. At 20:30-21:00 evening check. Then one hour to get ready for bed and lights out at 22:00.

This is an approximate schedule, which may vary significantly in different colonies.

List of children's colonies

Where are the authorized institutions for carrying out correctional and educational functions located? The Russian Federation is territorially divided into 54 constituent entities, in which 24 educational colonies :

Aleksinskaya (city of Aleksin, Tula region);
Angarskaya (city of Angarsk, Irkutsk region);
Arzamasskaya (city of Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod region);
Arkhangelsk (city of Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk region);
Belorechenskaya (city of Belorechensk, Krasnodar Territory);
Birobidzhan (city of Birobidzhan, Jewish Autonomous Region);
Bobrovskaya (city of Bobrovsk, Voronezh region);
Bryansk (city of Bryansk, Bryansk region);
Izhevsk (city of Izhevsk, Republic of Udmurtia);
Kamyshinskaya (city of Kamyshin, Volgograd region);
Kanskaya (city of Kansk, Krasnoyarsk Territory);
Kizilyurt (city of Kizilyurt, Republic of Dagestan);
Kirovgradskaya (city of Kirovgrad, Sverdlovsk region);
Kolpinskaya (city of Kolpino, Kolpinsky district);
Mariinskaya (city of Mariinsk, Kemerovo region);
Mozhaiskaya (city of Mozhaisk, Moscow region);
Nakhodkinskaya (city of Nakhodka, Primorsky Territory);
Novooskolskaya (city of Novy Oskol, Belgorod region);
Novosibirsk (city of Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk region);
Permskaya (city of Perm, Perm region);
Sterlitamakskaya (city of Sterlitamak, Republic of Bashkortostan);
Tomsk-2 (city of Tomsk, Tomsk region);
Tyumen (Tyumen city, Tyumen region).

Of the 24 educational institutions, two, Novooskolskaya and the Tomsk-2 colony, contain underage convicted girls who have committed offenses, the remaining 22 contain boys.

As of February 1, 2021, there are about 1,655 people .

Nutrition

According to the law, meals in a juvenile colony are free, three times a day. The composition of the products is similar to food in adult prisons, but with higher standards.

Sample menu

Breakfast:

Porridge or scrambled eggs;
Cottage cheese or egg;
Sandwich (with butter and cheese);
Coffee, tea or cocoa;
Sugar;
Fruits.

Dinner:

Any type of soup or borscht;
Side dish with meat, fish or canned food;
Compote or juice;
Bread;
Vegetable Salad;
Fruits.

Dinner:

Dumplings or side dish with meat or fish;
Cottage cheese;
Sandwich;
Bun;
Tea, cocoa or compote;
Fruits;
Sweets.

Studies

Each children's colony has its own school. Studies are organized over five days a week, each lesson lasting 40 minutes.

Statistics are taken into account according to which only a third of minor prisoners studied at school before being imprisoned. Education in the colony is divided into three stages (steps):

Primary (accelerated course for 4 years);
General for five years. It is the basis for obtaining complete secondary education;
Complete secondary education is obtained over two years. This is the final stage, which consolidates the entire course completed.

Additionally, you can participate in creative clubs and various types of amateur activities.

Entertainment and relaxation

Each colony has its own club, where children participating in amateur performances perform concerts. There is also a library and games rooms. In the latter you can play educational games. You are also allowed to listen to the radio and watch TV at set times.

You can leave the colony by agreement of the administration with the colony employee or relatives to attend cultural events.

In case of health problems, prisoners can visit the medical center.

Not so remote place. One day in a women's colony through the eyes of a correspondent

When we voiced to the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Altai Territory, Usachev, the idea of telling readers about one ordinary day for a convicted woman, Valery Nikolaevich nodded approvingly, but suggested a slightly different option: “One day with a prison employee. You will see, hear and understand more.” That's what they agreed on. At eight in the morning, the deputy head of IK-11, Elena Zvereva, was waiting for us at the entrance to the colony. Zampolit, as she is called in the old fashioned way. I've already seen it somewhere. But where?

Hair Mask

We leave passports and cell phones at the checkpoint. We assure you that we do not carry SIM cards or other prohibited items with us. We greet a passing dog handler and his dog. The shepherd dog habitually sniffs and looks at the newcomers with curiosity. It’s written in my smart eyes: I’ll let you through in this direction without any problems, and there, whatever the owner says.

Elena Lvovna has been in the system of the Federal Penitentiary Service since 2000. Two higher educations - historical and legal. She worked with juvenile convicts, men and women from a colony settlement. Believes that women are the most difficult.

Elena Zvereva, deputy head of IK-11:

I tell them now: “First there were your children. I wrote letters to you together with them. Now you have come." Women are more aggressive and emotional than men. The basis of our special contingent are those who are over forty years old. You won't see many young faces here. These women spent a significant part of their lives in “places not so remote” - few people expect them to be released. Only a few people come to visit convicts. In men's colonies, long-term visiting rooms are constantly occupied, and there is a long queue. Here they are empty.

Today, Major of the Internal Service Zvereva is the person responsible for the institution among the management personnel. We are going to the morning briefing, which she must conduct with the duty squad taking over duty. Instruction as instruction. Observe the law when performing service... Address prisoners only as “you”. Comply with the rules for serving in enclosed spaces and internal regulations.

- Let me remind you that today we have journalists working with us. We must take care of their safety: so that our guests return home safe and healthy. Are there any patients? Can everyone serve?

Someone sniffles with a cold, but everyone can do it. Elena Lvovna goes to check the work of the punishment cell, where not only penal prisoners are kept in isolation. In the region, suspected and accused women are kept in pre-trial detention center-1 and pre-trial detention center-2. Those who have had a trial but whose sentence has not yet entered into legal force are brought to the Novoaltaysk colony in premises functioning as a pre-trial detention center (PFRSI). On the one hand, places in pre-trial detention centers are being vacated, on the other hand, convicts are being psychologically prepared for transfer from the pre-trial detention center to a colony. There is also a PKT - a chamber-type room. Its occupant is being searched in front of us. “Take off your sock.” - “Ha, maybe you should also take off your pants?” - the voice is low, smoky. They say about such people: peasants. She was sentenced to three months in the PKT for violent behavior. There are six people in the cells of the PFRSI, the public is calmer, although they also have their own “thorn”: “Are there any complaints?” - "Certainly! Don't you see? Let's lose weight! You can't make a hair mask! What kind of trouble have they staged here? The calm inspector from the security department continues to tap the frames of the beds and other simple furnishings of the cells with a large wooden hammer. His partner smiles faintly at the corners of her mouth. Here we saw and heard enough of all sorts of “concerts”. “Girls! - says the one who suffers without a hair mask. - Who searched you? Woman? And me - man! I got such a buzz!” He's lying, of course. We can testify with a photojournalist.

“Working here, you begin to be more lenient towards human weaknesses and shortcomings,” notes the political officer.

Sit for my husband

In Zvereva’s office we meet with her closest assistants. Young, pretty, serious.

“We have a small but very friendly team,” says Zvereva. “We hold on to each other, we help.” Otherwise, it is simply impossible to cope with the endless intrigues of the convicts.

Tatyana Pavlovna Mereshchenko and Alexandra Vyacheslavovna Ishkova are team leaders. Graduates of the Barnaul Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Svetlana Vladimirovna Markelova is a specialist in the labor and living conditions of convicts. Prepares for release, even to the point of purchasing tickets home, establishes connections with relatives, employment centers and social services at the place of residence. All smart, beautiful, all married. It is customary for us to address people by first name and patronymic, no “Tan” or “Svet”. Convicts are also supposed to be addressed as “you.”

I ask my new acquaintances what are the reasons for the increase in female crime.

— Previously, women were primarily involved in household chores and raising children, but now they have equal rights and opportunities with men. You have to be strong and aggressive in attempts at self-realization and self-affirmation. To some extent, they go against their original nature. And if it doesn’t work out, they go crazy. In our colony, many are imprisoned for murder or, like most gypsies, for drug distribution. It is quite possible that they are sitting instead of their husbands or sons. They take the blame upon themselves. I remember an elderly gypsy woman admitted when she was released: “Well, I sat for my son.” The trouble is that while she was in prison, her son was still imprisoned - for another crime. In our country, women are often forced to be equal to or stronger than men. However, getting on the same level as men, they forget that drugs and alcohol have a more detrimental effect on their lives. A man can still, if he really wants, give up these habits. A woman - no, for her these are incurable diseases. It’s a one-way road,” one feels that Tatyana Pavlovna has been thinking about this topic for a long time.

“Another reason is unemployment, especially in rural areas,” adds Alexandra Vyacheslavovna. — Husbands drink and women try to keep up with them. And in order to feed the family, to buy some clothes for the children, they resort to theft. When you ask: “Why?”, they answer: “There was no other way out.”

“This is an ambiguous moment,” Svetlana Vladimirovna shrugs. — In employment centers they say on the contrary: there are many jobs, we are waiting for your convicts. But our people rarely go there. They go to the social security authorities, collect certificates and receive financial assistance. The trouble is that when they are released, they don’t want to work. Cases of successful employment of former convicts and their successful social adaptation are, unfortunately, rare. Last year in Rubtsovsk, out of a thousand people who were released, 40 people came to the employment center, of which only eight took up the offered work. What are the others doing? At best, they work for entrepreneurs “under the table.”

What happens? Previously, there was a slogan: “Catch up and overtake America.” Now: “Catch up and overtake the men”? Or at least keep up with the drinking... One of the convicts stabbed to death her roommate, who poured a little less into her glass than for himself. Whether the eye failed, greed - what difference does it make now? A common story from criminal cases of convicts: they were drinking with their husband (cohabitant, acquaintance)... the man offended him... she went to the kitchen, took a knife... the offender fell asleep or was no longer aware of anything... struck (blows). There is a convict in the colony, a former nurse. Behind her back they call her the Cleaner - she sent four of her roommates to the next world. You’ll meet her on the street and won’t think anything bad: neat, sedate, pleasant in appearance. After serving her sentence for the third murder, she took with her a cat, which she fed in the colony. The cat returned a few days later. Soon the hostess returned. Happy fourth term.

— Our special contingent does not like to engage in needlework, embroidery, knitting and other purely feminine activities. We got used to living in freedom, doing nothing. And we didn’t receive the appropriate upbringing in childhood. Only two people out of 247 love and know how to draw, one of them still does ceramics. But you are always welcome to sing or dance, especially on Colony Day. Let there be no vodka, but everyone can go for a walk! As Yegor Prokudin said in the film “Kalina Krasnaya”: “The soul needs a holiday, a holiday!” The grandmother is standing there, with almost no teeth left: “I want to sing “Chervona Ruta,” says the political officer.

Letter to Italy

Zvereva looks at her watch - it’s time to go to the planning meeting with the head of the colony. His subordinates speak with respect about Vladimir Suvolov: “A seasoned operative. Wise and calm."

The seasoned opera’s first day feels like it’s back from a short vacation, and his subordinates burden him with problems... They don’t want to take the pregnant Bortnikova to Chelyabinsk and Mariinsk, where the colonies specialize in delivering babies to convicts. There are no places, everything is crowded. Another woman was diagnosed with a bad tumor. Regarding ARVI, which is rampant in the region, the situation is calm, convicts are given a proven preventive remedy - onions... Another problem with government procurement - we need new sewing machines for the workshop, but this is easy to say, and there is Federal Law-44... It's time to deal with those who are messing around in production, does not meet production standards.

Vladimir Suvolov, head of IK-11:

Here you go, and then they wonder why their salaries are low...

Red tape with the write-off of a worn-out tractor, impenetrable bureaucracy... In the first quarter, the expected excess consumption of electricity and water. We need to find ways to save... Suvolov looks like the director of an enterprise - only in a jacket. But unlike many bosses, he looks at journalists favorably: “If you have any questions, come in, I’m here until late.”

— Why do convicts try to get pregnant? — Elena Lvovna explains after the planning meeting. — To receive leniency and be released under Article 82. A child is an ironclad pretext for release. The one who needs to be sent to a special colony for childbirth already has two children: a boy is ten years old, a girl is less than two years old. The mother has a dozen criminal records - she specialized in stealing bags and things from Barnaul stores. We have a convicted Kuzkina. She married a man who had once abandoned his child with his mother. The mother he divorced was imprisoned. The child was raised in an orphanage until he was seven years old. Now the man, who was released not so long ago, is inflamed with fatherly feelings and intends to take the child from the orphanage. And Kuzkina is not far behind us: help us adopt this child. I would like to believe that this is a need to experience maternal love. But another, non-romantic option is possible: the term is long, nine years, and the presence of a child will help to be released under Section 82 - to care for a minor.

Children are generally the most favorite topic among convicts. They are missed and speculated upon. For their sake they are trying to start a new life. Natalya, convicted of drug possession, lived in the same high-rise building in Barnaul with my friends.

“I’ve already served five years.” My daughters are going to school soon. I don’t want to deal with drugs anymore - that’s a million percent! Drugs are evil. I was scared to see in the colony what kind of drug addicts end up here, what the “crocodiles” do to them in a short time. Sometimes you think: I’ll be walking down the street and a drug addict with an ax will attack you! Most of all I missed my mother and child. Only thoughts about them. I want to teach my daughter to skate. I'll go to the park with her. Waiting for me very much. (With a nervous laugh.) Like some kind of hero. Grandma doesn’t say where I am,” Natalya is fiddling with Makarenko’s “Pedagogical Poem” in her hands.

69-year-old Lyudmila Khan last saw her daughters 35 years ago (Irina and Tatyana were then 4 and 5 years old). The children remained in the city of Chirchik, then still in the Uzbek SSR. And Lyudmila Viktorovna’s life went in a vicious circle: theft, theft, robbery - courts - barbed wire. True, his last conviction was eight years for the murder of his roommate. Khan says the murder was “pinned on her.” Released in 2015, but nowhere to go. Where the daughters were, what happened to them, the mother did not know all these 35 years. The colony staff wrote a request to Uzbekistan. The answer came: in 1999, Tatyana Vyacheslavovna Khan married an Italian who worked in construction, accepted Italian citizenship and left her homeland. Not a word about the second daughter.

“We helped Baba Khan draft a letter, which she sent to the Italian Embassy asking for help in finding her daughter,” says Elena Zvereva. - Maybe Tatyana would like to meet. Or at least answer the letter. Even though many years have passed, this is still a mother who has been found.

Baba Khan (nee Zyryanova) is in the first detachment. Walks using a cane. The dark face is cut with wrinkles, the nose is large, the gaze is intent. A colorful grandmother, and her surname is telling - there is something khan-like about her.

— You work for a big newspaper. Help me find my daughter. I want to receive good news from her. It's like my last wish. I grew up an orphan and spent my entire life in government houses. But I am a free person and clean before God.

Evening fun

Baba Khan’s health is not good, and it’s not just because of her age. It is generally difficult to find healthy people in the colonies. The chief medical officer of the colony, Evgeny Aleksandrovich Galkin, has been working in the correctional system for 21 years. Previously he treated young children, now he treats women.

- A very difficult contingent. Neglected medically, with many chronic diseases. In the wild, none of the women practically took care of their health. We have many who used drugs. Thirty-seven convicts are HIV-infected, about 90 have hepatitis B and C. There are many gynecological diseases, hypertension is common. There are almost 700 diseases for 247 people.

The medical director shows his possessions - the offices of a therapist, a psychotherapist, a gynecologist, a dentist, and a ward. Freshly renovated, clean, tidy and obligatory bars. In a village with a population of 250 people you won’t even find a first aid station, but here there is a whole medical unit. The dental equipment will be the envy of other regional hospitals. You can treat your teeth and install dentures.

Most convicts have problems with their teeth, especially former drug addicts. But in women's state houses there is no self-mutilation, swallowing of various spoons, nails, pieces of barbed wire. This is all the prerogative of crazy men.

Evgeniy Galkin considers patience and endurance to be the most important thing in his work. Almost every evening, closer to lights out, which according to the schedule begins at 10 p.m., convicts, especially the elderly, begin to experience “exacerbations”: blood pressure, headaches, heart attacks... The medical staff are already at home, so they have to call an ambulance from the Novoaltai City Hospital. Civilian doctors arrive within five to seven minutes and the matter ends with the distribution of tablets. Essentially a false alarm. For convicts, the arrival of an ambulance is a kind of entertainment, a game on the nerves of the colony staff. And they have no choice - if something happens, they will be dragged to the prosecutor's office. It’s good that in the city hospital they “come to their senses” and don’t grumble.

Let's get out into the fresh air. The sky is blue, the sun is shining with might and main. Spring! Two convicts are being led past to the checkpoint. One has completed her second term, the other, thirty-eight years old, has completed her seventh. A few more minutes and they will be free. But the faces are gloomy. They turn away from the camera lens.

“Women often leave the colony and cry. Nowhere to go. Many are not needed at all. It happens that our requests from the internal affairs bodies receive answers: “The family does not want the convicted person to return to the house,” says the political officer.

Galkin looks for a long time towards the checkpoint.

— When I’m free, I often cross paths with my former charges, somewhere on the street or in shops. I’m interested in how they live, where they live. They ask not about how to treat their illnesses, not about prescriptions, but how things are in the colony.

Love and separation

Elena Lvovna is leaving us for a while. The person in charge of the institution is obliged to go “along the perimeter” - check the security department’s squadron service. Civilians are not allowed on towers. It's lunch time. In the canteen, prisoners are fed borscht, pasta with meat and jelly. And we are drinking tea with sweets in the political officer’s office. It's time to talk with her assistants about eternal topics - love and family.

“I’ve only been working in the colony for a year and a half, but I noticed that during this time my relationship with my husband has become even stronger. Psychologically, it is very difficult in a colony. I’m so tired that when I come home, I just want warmth, peace and romance. There is no strength left for any quarrels and clarification of relationships. On weekends we go with my husband and child to a quiet place. My husband is also in the FSIN system, and at home we basically don’t talk about service,” admits Svetlana Markelova.

— Although we wear shoulder straps, we don’t give orders at home,” Alexandra Ishkova smiles shyly. “You are constantly under tension here.” You can expect anything from our convicts. Don't forget - many of them are murderers and drug addicts. They watch your every step, word, gesture. You have to constantly control yourself. Any mistake is fraught with all sorts of consequences. After such work, I want to quickly do my homework, be myself and just relax.

Elena Lvovna returns. He turns the topic towards the convicted.

— Men do not wait for women who find themselves in prison. They quickly divorce and find others. And a man is always welcome. It happens that she is not alone. In our colony, in three years there were only three marriages. First: the wife will be released in April and will go home to Rubtsovsk, but the husband is not there - he has already ended up in a maximum security colony for drug distribution. I ask: “Will you wait?” - “Nooo, why do I need it?” Second couple: she is in prison, he has served time, the future is in the fog. The third marriage seems to be strong. A gypsy husband from Novoaltaisk often comes to visit his wife on weekends... She is noticeably younger than him, adds Zvereva.

We go to the workshop where they sew shirts for police officers. We find one of those three married, a slender, middle-aged woman.

— I’ll be released in 15 days. What will I do? (looking at Zvereva.) First, check in everywhere so as not to catch anyone’s eye. I'll never come back here again. I am grateful to God that I felt and understood everything here, even in my old age. Why didn’t He imprison me earlier when I was younger? But I still have a long way to go. With my tongue and head I will not be lost, I will decide on my future life. I'll just correct my appearance. I became a pioneer in this colony - I got married. Should I tell you about my husband? No no no!!! Let history remain silent. Waiting for me now. Where would he go?!

The discoverer laughs out loud. Now it’s clear that the newly minted wife wants to correct it. Well, it's a matter of everyday life. And the husband, who is no longer needed, is, of course, waiting. What else should he do in a maximum security colony? Waiting for the deadline to expire. Counts days, months, years.

At the exit from the workshop I notice the mischievous look of a young, pretty seamstress. I wink mechanically. On the street, Elena Lvovna asks: “Why did the convict blush when we passed by?” I immediately inject myself. "What have you done? Now she won’t sleep at night, she’ll dream up God knows what!” — either jokingly or seriously, the political officer scolds. Now I'm blushing.

Dreams of parole

“By law, convicts are required to work,” Elena Lvovna tactfully moves on to another topic. — Here they receive secondary specialized education and work in the clothing industry. In freedom, few people will work in this specialty. But they exist, and we focus primarily on such people. Nadezhda Baranova, a young woman from Rubtsovsk, worked here very conscientiously. Her mother was ill, her brother died. The son could have been sent to an orphanage. Galina was very worried. We helped her complete all the documents and be released under Article 82. Recently I sent a letter to my friend Kasatkina from the third detachment - she has been working in the studio for the second year. The letter contains an advertising booklet - Nadezhda's son, a handsome boy, is posing in various suits that are sewn in the studio. We were all happy for her.

We are hurrying to the meeting of the council of teachers of the second detachment, which is held every first Tuesday of the month. The council includes the head of the colony, the political officer, the head of the security department, a psychologist and a social worker. Today the petitions of three convicts for parole are to be considered. Parole is one of the most important positions, the cornerstones of the social elevator system practiced in recent years by the penitentiary service.

— At least once a month, a commission, which includes representatives of the colony administration and all its services, reviews and evaluates the behavior of each prisoner. How does a convict relate to work, study, psychocorrectional work with a psychologist, compliance with internal regulations and participation in cultural events, Elena Zvereva explains to me. “After this, the question of the future is decided: transfer to light maintenance or leave under normal conditions. Or maybe transfer him to strict conditions of detention. A social elevator is a chance for a convict to at least somehow change his life for the better behind barbed wire that seems endless, to feel that time has not stopped. At a minimum, the convict is made to understand: they have not forgotten about him, his life is of interest to other people, someone needs him. Although in our colony there are few people who are released on parole by a court decision. After all, repeat offenders are kept here, some with 10-12 convictions. Some were released on parole five or six times, and what’s the point - they committed crimes again.

The first to appear before the clear eyes of the commission is Svetlana Safina, sentenced to nine years for murder.

“There were no penalties, she received rewards in the form of gratitude, she was employed as an auxiliary worker, and she treats her work conscientiously. Maintains socially beneficial connections with mother and 13-year-old daughter through long visits and phone calls. In case of parole, she intends to live with her mother and daughter at her previous place of residence. “He wants to get a job as a salesman in a store,” the head of the squad, Ishkova, reports.

What follows is a dialogue between the head of the colony and Safina. “Have you ever been on parole before?” - "Once". - “Will the second time be enough?” - "Enough. Second and last." - “Won’t you grab the knife again?” - "No, I will not". - “Keep in mind that your article is serious. And I tell everyone: if you end up here again, you won’t go on parole a second time. Once you have not lived up to the trust by breaking the law again, that’s enough, bear the full punishment.”

The commission supported Safina's petition. They also supported the petition of Anastasia Moseeva. This is her third term. The first time I was given a suspended sentence, the second time I was given a real sentence, I didn’t finish my sentence and was released on parole. This time they gave me four years, release in 2015. At home, in Tomsk, a grandmother and son are waiting, who is being raised by her common-law husband. Moseyeva's mother died. My husband had a criminal record.

- You are a young woman. Your hands are in place, they worked well, you can do European-quality repairs, there is a great demand for construction workers everywhere. Be careful not to be dragged into your old life. Don’t come back here—prison doesn’t do anything good,” Suvolov instructs.

The last to enter is a thin, gray-haired woman with the large hands of a working man.

“The convicted Baturina has been serving her sentence in our institution since 2011,” says Alexandra Ishkova. - There are no penalties. Encouragement in the form of four thanks. Health problems - thyroid gland. But there is no disability. Maintains socially beneficial connections with his son and daughter through telephone calls and letters. In case of parole, she intends to return home to Omsk. Previously, she was twice brought to criminal punishment under Art. 158 (theft). The first sentence was suspended. She served her second term in full. Third conviction - art. 105 part 1 (murder). Going on parole for the first time.

Baturina’s daughter is raising small children, does not work, and her son is serving a sentence. What exactly, the mother does not want to say. Baturina will turn 55 in December. I have accumulated work experience for retirement - I worked at a factory as a turner for 21 years. I received an apartment from the factory. If released on parole, it will happen in May. You will have to do something for six months. The Omsk employment service promised to provide employment according to available vacancies as standard. At best, the native plant will hire you to work as a cleaner - the turner’s skills are lost, and she’s no longer the same age. The Commission supports the petition. But Svetlana Markelova expresses a dissenting opinion:

“We’ll get a pension, and then let him go free.” She can't do it herself. The trouble is that these people do not want and are not used to going to institutions, standing in lines, filling out paperwork. Here we helped one gypsy get a passport for the first time - at the age of 45. How did you live without a passport? She honestly said: “Why do I need a passport?”

Of course, with these “elevators” there is a lot of paperwork. A bunch of certificates are needed - starting with the description of the head of the detachment and ending with what books the convict took from the library, to whom she sends letters, whether she has any outstanding debts, whether she refused medical care and necessary medical examinations. Immediately after the introduction of the system, the personal files of the convicts swelled to incredible proportions. Now, according to Zvereva, it has become simpler, and a system of social elevators, no matter how much it is criticized, is needed.

Our king's people

There is a school in the colony. Previously, young children studied there. Now 30 people sit at school desks, half of them in accordance with the law on compulsory secondary education, which a person must receive before the age of 30. In the fourth grade there are young, funny gypsies. Russian is the most difficult language for them. The remaining 15 people learn the wisdom of school at their own request.

The school building houses a prayer room and a library. In IK-11 the stone has been laid for the future church, but construction requires considerable funds and labor. In the men's colonies there are at least masons and carpenters... Priest Vyacheslav Dankin, who until recently looked after the correctional institutions of the region, helped open the prayer room. The convicts loved to have soul-saving conversations with him.

“The colony is visited by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, evangelical Christians, and Baptists,” Zvereva lists. — Most of all, of course, the Russian Orthodox Church helps. Not only spiritually, but also materially. Parcels often arrive from the church, and parishioners complete them. Even if it’s a little bag of candy, it’s still nice, because in the colony itself, as you understand, there is no provision for distributing candy. The peculiarity of our special contingent is that the convicts are accustomed to asking, although they are fully provided with shoes, clothing, and food. But this is all official stuff. And here - socks, candy or a towel from outside...

In the prayer room, two women, an elderly one and a very young one, froze at the icons. Everyone has their own relationship with God.

“I’m not one of those people who call themselves a believer behind bars, but when they’re free they forget about God.” He is in my soul. The main thing here is to preserve the person within you. For me, the most important concepts now are love and freedom. And money spoils people,” says 25-year-old Nastya Kuznetsova from Barnaul.

There is no one in the library except the head - an elderly convict with a “Lyuba” tattoo on her fingers. By the way, such tattoos among convicts have gone out of fashion. Lyubov Naydenova, showing the contents of the bookshelves, carefully hides her marked brush. “People of Our Tsar” by Lyudmila Ulitskaya are adjacent to “Strong in Spirit Dm. Medvedev, Goethe - with “Gone with the Wind”, Remarque - with “The Garden of Desires” by Maria Gorodova, and Saltykov-Shchedrin with “Husbands and Lovers” by R. Harris. Of course, “Resurrection” by Leo Tolstoy.

What do they like to read here? Yes, the same as in the wild. Younger people prefer romance novels and detective stories. Those who are older - historical literature, classics. Science fiction and various types of fantasy are not in honor. A separate bookcase is reserved for spiritual literature. The Bible and its interpretations, including academic ones, books about the lives of saints and... more than ten new, eye-catching books by Yu. Mikhailov “It’s time to understand the Koran.” Are they reading? No, the librarian assures us, we do not have Muslim women. But, it seems to me, the call to study the Koran applies not only to those who already profess Islam.

Feelings of regret

I see Shukshin’s volume and it finally dawns on me where I saw Elena Zvereva before. Last fall, the X All-Russian Song Festival of Convicts “Kalina Krasnaya” took place in Barnaul. The gala concert took place on the stage of the Altai Youth Theater. Elena Lvovna helped the organizers a lot behind the scenes during the dress rehearsal and the concert itself, where her knowledge of the psychology of convicts was especially useful. Some of the artists had to be reassured, some had to be encouraged, some just had to shake hands before going on stage. When journalists were allowed to talk to the artists after the gala concert, I involuntarily drew attention to a beautiful woman standing nearby with major's shoulder straps. The facial features are soft, and the gaze is firm and confident.

— I go to work because I like it. If it were different, I would have quit, no matter what the salary was. What do I feel towards those convicted? No, not pity. After all, we are dealing with repeat offenders. But there is regret about the broken destinies. I have not offended any of the convicts in all these years. She didn't call anyone a fool or a fool. Although sometimes I really wanted to. Sometimes I hear bad, unpleasant words from them about myself. But I'm not offended. These are women, they constantly weave intrigues. Especially gypsies. I tell the employees: “Treat convicts as forced people. Be more lenient." It’s just that each of us needs to do what we are obliged to do according to our responsibilities. Our job is to carry out the punishment determined by the court. It’s funny to talk about the re-education of 40-60 year old people who have been in prison more than once. The convicted person must serve her sentence and go free - if not healthy (this is not a sanatorium or resort, after all), then at least with health that has not deteriorated. This is probably an unexpected comparison, but in some ways our work is similar to the work of a teacher in a kindergarten (I had such an experience in my youth). What is most important to him? In the evening, return their small children to the parents safe and sound.

It seems that responsibility is one of the most important traits in the character of our political officer. Svetlana Markelova recalls how she and Elena Lvovna took the former convict, pensioner Marchenko, to Rubtsovsk in her own car to a special psychoneurological dispensary. In fact, the Novo-Altai social protection authorities could have done this, but they were probably afraid - the grandmother was twice convicted of murder.

“We spent a very long time trying to get Marchenko registered there. The trip turned out to be calm, the grandmother did not fuss. We couldn't just let her out of the colony, close the door and wash our hands of it. What if she did something? - Zvereva argues.

The famous Russian rule says: “Don’t believe, don’t be afraid, don’t ask.” It is believed that it was born in places of imprisonment.

“It’s very difficult for me to always ask for myself,” admits the political officer. — It’s another thing to ask for someone. Do not believe? Well, yes, there is such a professional deformation, in this work we become more distrustful. Don't be afraid... This message for a colony or prison is not very correct. Employees' sense of danger must not be dulled. During briefings, we constantly remind employees about safety measures. Women convicts are often unpredictable. They can be provoked even by a casual glance or a carelessly thrown word. And many of them have nothing to lose. Ideally, people serving criminal sentences should be mentally healthy. In fact, we have enough convicts with various mental disorders; some of them are treated in the corresponding closed-type medical institutions. All employees wear special keychains with a panic button. Security officers carry batons, pepper spray and handcuffs.

There were no escapes here. For women's colonies, escaping is too extreme an act, only in television series this is possible. Zverev calls cinematic consumer goods about prisons and colonies like spreading cranberries: they have nothing in common with real life.

The working day ends in the sewing workshop. For dinner in the colony there is boiled fish, mashed potatoes and tea with bread. Just like in the army. Associations with her arose constantly. Take the evening formation for example. In the army, we also smoked outside the barracks on the eve of the evening roll call. And the “grandfathers of the Soviet Army” also walked slowly in the last rows, not really keeping the order. Here, the last in the column are grandmothers with canes and crutches.

Elena Lvovna accompanies us through the checkpoint gates.

- Come in the summer - for Colony Day. All the convicts are waiting for him. We are preparing carefully. Relatives are invited. The convicts sew colorful costumes, learn songs and dance numbers, and write a script. Cakes and other baked goods are baked. But the convicts don’t like New Year. Lights up at 10 pm anyway - what kind of New Year is that? Yes, this holiday, you understand, is a family holiday.

It takes us about ten minutes to get to Barnaul, especially if you cross the Old Bridge. The colony is indeed a not so remote place.

"Your useless mother"

The next day I go to Odnoklassniki and type “Tatyana Khan Italy”. There is one! Tatyana Han, Perugia. I am writing in the “Messages” section about a woman who, apparently, is her mother. Please respond if you wish.

“My dear little blood, daughter Tatyana! Here your mother, offended by fate, writes to you. Forgive me for all my sins before God and before you. I haven’t seen you for so many years, although I haven’t forgotten about you. When you were about five years old, I was separated from you. They were exiled to Siberia without the right to correspondence or travel home. But I didn’t forget about you, and fate threw me around the zones. And until the last I am here. And this zone will be the last. Daughter, I will be released on October 15, 1930, and I would really like to know what you will answer me. At least by letter. And I really hope for your mercy. Forgive me, Tanya. I beg you. I only have nothing left to live. Give me news about yourself. Your worthless mother. I'm really looking forward to it."

The third week has begun. Still no answer. Perhaps Tatyana Han logs into Odnoklassniki on very big holidays. Perhaps he is still putting his thoughts and feelings in order after such unexpected news. Everything is possible.

Fact

According to data as of April 1, 2014, 674,900 people were kept in institutions of the Russian penal system, of which 55,300 were women. There are 13 children's homes in women's colonies, where 665 children live. There are 1,359 women in prison in the Altai Territory.

*The names and surnames of some convicts have been changed.

The author thanks the head of the press service of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Altai Territory, Natalya Shulepina, for her assistance in training.

Religious issues

Every Russian colony has an Orthodox church. In some, the priest constantly serves, in others he comes. The priest not only conducts services, but also talks with young prisoners on moral topics. Teenagers can visit the prayer room in the temple on weekends. You can have religious paraphernalia in the barracks. Some are baptized in the prison church, but other prisoners believe that if you are baptized in prison, you will definitely return to it, which is why they do not want to accept religion within the walls of the colony.

Transfer of products and things

The number of parcels and parcels for juvenile prisoners is unlimited, unlike for adult prisoners.

But each parcel is taken into account in a special document. This is done by the senior colony inspector. Also, when handing over the parcel, the relative signs two statements. One remains with him, and the second - in the colony.

Transfers are regulated by Ministry of Justice Order No. 311 of 2006.

There are a number of prohibited things that cannot be given or purchased to prisoners themselves:

Weapon;
Flammable and explosive substances;
Valuables, including securities;
Any piercing or cutting objects, including household items (razors, etc.);
Alcohol;
Playing cards;
Optical instruments;
Electrical household appliances;
Means of communication and photo-video filming.

“I forgot and it turned out to be a robbery”

I left Ulyanovka in January 2015 with the mindset that I didn’t want to sit in prison anymore. She returned to Rybinsk and got a job as a waitress. The director of the cafe was loyal to my criminal record. All was good. I met a young man. She became pregnant, then it turned out that he was a drug addict. He didn’t manage to tie the knot, and we broke up. Once I went to visit with a friend, again drinking. Apparently, the prison foundations have made themselves felt.

I forgot and it turned out to be a robbery. Also in 2015, I was given 2.5 years. My boss and my neighbors asked for me, so I got the minimum. The prosecutor asked for five years. I arrived at the Mozhaisk colony with a huge belly: 36 weeks. I dragged two heavy suitcases myself, none of the employees helped. There were two more mothers with us with babies: one was three months old, the other was nine. The employees silently took the children from them, they asked where? They answered them in a boorish manner. I immediately realized that everything would be very tough here.

Photo: “Lend Your Hand” Foundation

After giving birth, I began working as a nanny in the orphanage at the colony. Maternity leave 71 days. I had 15 newborns, I literally crawled out of work. The kids constantly cry because they are hungry, it’s very difficult mentally. I didn't even have the opportunity to see my child. I saw my son for the first time four months later.

In Mozhaika, since 2010, inmates lived with their children, but then, due to some kind of infection, the children began to die, and the co-housing building was closed. It was opened in 2012, but mothers still did not live with their children. And so we—ten mothers—began going to the administration and asking for cohabitation. We wrote complaints to the President, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Children's Rights. I had a friend Yulia, she was legally savvy - a lawyer, she helped us.

Most of our complaints did not leave the colony, the administration kept coming up with various excuses - they just didn’t want to take responsibility: these are constant checks, excessive attention to the colony. We were hidden from the inspectors when representatives of the Public Monitoring Commission (POC) came, so that we would not complain to them. We, in turn, resorted to blackmail that we would tell everything about the local order if we were not allowed to live with the children. As a result, when my Matvey was eight months old, we began to live together.

My son has never seen anything sweeter than a carrot. I was constantly looking for treats for him, vitamins. Sweets, cookies, fruits - everything is prohibited. You can only eat what’s on the official menu, and there’s only a green apple. When I gave him a banana for the first time—Matvey was one and a half years old—he didn’t know what to do with it. Once every six months, a friend sent a package, and there was a shortage: wet wipes, diapers, toys.

When you look at your child and realize that you cannot give him anything, it kills. The fact that I gave birth to him in a colony influenced me greatly; I rethought my whole life then. I would like to compensate him for everything so that Matvey does not remember where he was born.

Photo: Vladimir Velengurin / TASS

Then I again went to the offices and demanded that the treatment methods be changed. The medical care there is terrible, children are stabbed with antibiotics. When one gets sick, he is not isolated from the group, and he infects the others. They immediately start injecting everyone with serious drugs, even newborns. My son is now like a drug addict; he is not taking any gentle medications, because in Mozhaika they were put on Ceftriaxone, a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

In my arms, an eight-month-old girl began to scream when the nurse came with injections. She recognized her and understood that it would hurt now, and grabbed me with her hands. Never forget this!

There is nothing you can do with this system. The employees say to you: what were you thinking when a pregnant woman committed crimes? And you can't tell them anything because it's true. You start to explain that these are children, but they tell you: these are the children of prisoners. The attitude towards us, the special contingent, is the same towards our children. Knowing that you are powerless is very depressing.

Differences between men's and women's children's prisons

In general, conditions in juvenile colonies differ little depending on the gender of the prisoners. There are certain specifics of the work. For example, girls often work in sewing workshops, while for boys there are workshops of other profiles.

Some subjects in the education system may also differ.

At what age can you legally get there?

A teenager can be sent to a children's colony starting from the age of 14. But the court can do this only in exceptional cases. The crime (its severity), the conditions under which it was committed, the presence of relapses and, in general, the personality of the offender are taken into account. The main factor on the basis of which a sentence of imprisonment is imposed is the social danger of the crime and the criminal himself.

Imprisonment in a colony is never applied to minors who have committed crimes of minor or moderate gravity for the first time.

For crimes of minor and medium gravity committed by a teenager under the age of 16, the punishment cannot be more than 6 years of imprisonment, and for serious crimes - more than 10 years.

Why do children end up in VK?

As noted above, today the position of the courts is to minimize the number of sentences that would involve imprisonment. Thus, in the overwhelming majority of cases, minors completely avoid criminal liability thanks to the introduced institution of educational measures. In other cases, children may be sentenced to probation, a fine, or other penalties.

However, certain criminal acts do not allow the perpetrator to be free. These include:

murder;
causing serious harm to health;
crimes against sexual integrity;
terrorism;
organization of extremist communities;
robbery;
organization of a criminal community;
sale of narcotic substances in large and especially large quantities.

It should be noted that when deciding whether to impose a particular type of punishment, the court is guided by many factors in addition to the gravity of the act committed, including, among other things, age, personality and upbringing of the defendant, etc.