For any normal person, imprisonment seems to be the worst thing that can happen in life. But there are places much worse than a camera with minimal amenities. A prison cell is not just a small room where a prisoner is serving a sentence for a violation. This is a real hell, and even seasoned prisoners are afraid to be in it. How do they live in prison? Why is death sometimes preferable to serving time behind bars?
Why can I get into a punishment cell?
Prisons are designed so that the offender can redeem his atrocities within the time period set by the court. But not everyone is ready to put up with their situation and for violations fall into solitary confinement. Some cannot refuse the usual items that are forbidden to have in prison. Others constantly arrange fights and scandals. Still others cannot refuse to play cards. Disrespect for guards or superiors can also lead to punishment. The use and distribution of prohibited substances (alcohol, drugs) is also punishable by imprisonment in a punishment cell.
There are eight prisons in total in Russia. The rest of the correctional institutions are colonies of general or strict regime. Particularly dangerous recidivists, persons who have committed serious crimes and malicious violators of the order, who are being transferred from the colonies, go to jails.
Arrangement
The punishment cell in the prison is a small room in which there are not even minimal amenities. This directly contradicts Russian law. Imprisonment in a punishment cell implies a lack of communication, not terrible conditions for serving a sentence. The room should be comfortable, but finding one in Russian prisons will be problematic. And it's not a lack of funds for the arrangement of the camera.
What does a punishment cell look like in a prison? This is a small room in which the only light source is an electric bulb under a metal grid. Protection is done on purpose, because prisoners can use shards to cause injuries. As a rule, such a bulb has a minimum size, and its meager lighting is not enough even for such a small room.
In the punishment cell there may be an iron bed, which, after sleeping, rises and fastens to the wall. Sometimes the place to relax is wooden bunks. The table and chair are also firmly screwed to the floor. Often, a punishment cell in a prison does not have a bed or any item to sit at all.
A small window in the iron door serves to transfer food to the prisoner. While serving a sentence in a punishment cell, he is forbidden to receive food and parcels. He can only eat what is cooked in the prison canteen. There is also a peephole in the door to observe the convict.
Why is it worth fearing a punishment cell?
The procedures in all prisons are different, so the content of prisoners can vary significantly. In one penitentiary institution they make indulgences for those who are in a punishment cell. They are allowed to sit, read books and take half-hour walks in the yard. But in most prisons, the punishment cell is located in a damp basement, where in 15 days you can easily get pneumonia and tuberculosis. A weakened body is not able to endure such harsh conditions. A delinquent prisoner should spend most of his time on his feet or squatting. Not everyone wants to sit on a cold concrete floor. Personal hygiene products are prohibited. No water procedures, but as a latrine there may simply be a bucket.
Term
How much do they put in a punishment cell in a prison? The maximum sentence is 15 days. For non-compliance with the rules or illegal actions, you can get extra hours and days. Thus, prison authorities can extend the term an undetermined number of times. Juvenile delinquents cannot be held in a punishment cell for more than 7 days. Disabled persons of the first group, pregnant women and convicts who raise children under the age of 3 are completely exempted from such punishment. You already have an idea of what a punishment cell looks like in a prison and how long prisoners can be there. It's time to learn more about the correctional facilities themselves.
The worst prisons
Even the most law-abiding citizen has heard of this terrible place. A total of 863 prisoners are currently serving sentences there. This is strictly monitored by 900 staff members. The Black Dolphin in Sol-Iletsk is rightfully considered one of the worst prisons in Russia. Statistics can serve as proof of this - not a single escape in the history of this correctional institution. Terrorists, maniacs, mass murderers and other personalities who can hardly be called people are sitting here. Each of them is under video surveillance around the clock.
How do these prisoners live in prison? The light in the cells never turns off, every 15 minutes a guard walks around with a dog, walks in the courtyard blindfolded and handcuffed with wrists behind his back. Sitting on the bed during the day is forbidden: only on a chair, which is clearly visible through video surveillance. The camera itself is an iron cage inside the room. Everyone who got into the "Black Dolphin" received a life sentence, so they won’t be able to get out of here anymore. Thieves' laws do not apply here, and the only joy for prisoners is work.
The White Swan in Solikamsk
Another prison where criminals are held for life. The contingent is not very different from the "Black Dolphin": rapists, murderers, leaders of organized crime groups. But there are some concessions in the regime. After 10 years, you can switch to more benign conditions and get the opportunity to write letters. They live in cells for three, go for a walk on the roof of the prison, where special cells are equipped for this. In the early years, criminals are forbidden to study and work. Exemplary behavior may provide a chance to visit the prison library and even receive a correspondence education.
Polar Owl in the Yamal-Nenets District
Such a cute name is one of the worst prisons in Russia. Here the “Bitsa maniac” Alexander Pichushkin, the major killer Denis Yevsyukov and the only surviving terrorist Nurpashi Kulaev (capturing the school in Beslan) are serving their life sentences. In this place they practice cruelty to “life-sentenced people”, since it is very difficult to predict their actions. The prisoners themselves admit that it is better to die than to serve their sentences. For all the time, not a single escape was committed, and on the door of the cells there are signs on which the articles of the convict and a list of his atrocities are written. The special regime here is 13 years. Then some concessions appear - work, receiving correspondence.
A person who has fallen into one of these prisons has no chance of being free again. But nobody will allow them to take their own lives either - every second they are being monitored. They are forced to live in hell for many years, paying for the committed atrocities.