Roosters in prison - who are they?
Those excluded from prison life are a caste of untouchables.
How do people living in prison live? They live separately from full members of the prison community: under the bed (“under the bunk”), near the toilet.
In large camps, separate barracks are allocated for them, which are called cockerels.
Those who are omitted use individual household items.
Holes are made in their dishes so that no one accidentally confuses “grinded” plates and spoons with normal ones.
Life for those in prison is very difficult. Roosters do the dirtiest types of work.
There are several theories about the origin of this caste.
According to the most common version, those released were separated into a separate prison stratum after the 1961 reform.
She divided the camps according to the severity of the detention regime: seasoned prisoners, repeat offenders began to live separately from the original prisoners (you can find out what types of prisons exist in Russia today and what regimes there are there).
The pioneers are, as a rule, young people striving for competition in all spheres of life; they did not know the principles of prison and, in the absence of supervision by more experienced prisoners, their life became more and more wild over time.
This has led to the fact that punishment by rape, which before the reform was an extreme measure used in isolated cases, has become widespread (read about types of violence in prisons here).
Any prisoner can become omitted.
But some categories of people are assigned to this caste automatically or with a high probability.
These include:
- People who practiced homosexual relations in the wild.
- Prisoners who were sent to prison for raping minors.
- People whose relatives work in law enforcement agencies.
Information: in addition to roosters, there is a caste of devils in the prison community. The lowered devils share the status of untouchables, but they are not used for sexual pleasures.
Automatic lowering is becoming less and less common in prisons. The attitude towards people imprisoned under “rooster” charges will not be good, but sexual violence will not be shown towards them.
Why is it called a rooster in prisons? There is no exact answer to this question. Probably, this name comes from the verb “cock”, which denoted the process of rape.
Tattoos of the Lowered
In most cases, such marks are derogatory in nature. They are applied to the buttocks, face, back or lower back. Moreover, if the rooster tries to remove the tattoo on his own, he will face severe punishment.
Let's look at the types of tattoos used for the lowered areas:
- Card suit or crown. The most common tattoos. Due to the use of such marks, roosters are often called “kings of all stripes.” The crown is most often five-pointed. There is a small white heart inside it.
- The inscription "daisy on the back."
- A five-pointed crown with a black heart indicates the willingness of the omitted to engage in all forms of sexual intercourse.
- Five-pointed crown with the signature "T.A.V.D.A." or with “Orpheus” instead of a white heart indicates the special status of “omitted”. Such tattoos are given to authorities in the circle of roosters. In prison they are called “chief roosters.”
- A dot or “sight” in the area of the eye or in the corner of the mouth.
- The image of a pig or a rat is stuffed with those who do not maintain personal hygiene.
- Tattoos of a naked woman entwined with a snake are applied to passive homosexuals. Most often the tattoo is located on the back.
Often the above designs are accompanied by short inscriptions that indicate the suit of the owner of the tattoo. Also, next to the tattoo there may be an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation under which the citizen was convicted. Typically similar to rapists.
A tattoo is a kind of analogue of a passport in the zone. If a person understands prison symbols, then he will be able to form an opinion about a person, barely looking at his tattoo.
There are also several tattoos in the form of rings designed for lowered ones. Let's look at the most popular of them:
- A ring divided horizontally into two parts. Its upper part is painted black, the lower part is white. This type of tattoo was especially popular in the 90s of the last century. It was applied to card debtors. Moreover, in most cases, the tattoo was done by force. Upon release, the former prisoner painted over the white part of the tattoo, as a result of which its meaning changed to “time served.”
- A black ring with a diagonal white stripe and three black dots inside. This is the ring of a homosexual, which was stuffed with the offended and neglected in prison.
Have a question for a lawyer? Ask now, call and get a free consultation from leading lawyers in your city. We will answer your questions quickly and try to help with your specific case.
Telephone in Moscow and the Moscow region: +7
Phone in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region: +7
Free hotline throughout Russia: 8 (800) 301-39-20
Other types of omitted tattoos
The following tattoos are less popular:
- Roses and hearts (symbols of femininity). As a rule, they were stuffed onto the buttocks. Moreover, the heart means that the person has already been convicted of sodomy. The rosette indicates that the prisoner is “good in bed.”
- Eyes. Located in the lower back. Also on the buttocks there may be tattoos in the form of two bears that “play plates” when walking.
- Handshake with a flower sandwiched between hands. This tattoo indicates that the person is homosexual.
- Devil undressing a woman. In prison, the devil is a symbol of lust. Similar tattoos are placed on the backs of those who are depressed.
- Complex tattoos that include several elements. Often such marks are received by prisoners punished under article for rape. There may be four card aces, a girl, a devil, a signature of a humiliating nature.
- A girl catching a dress with a fishing rod. This tattoo is also given to rapists. It is located on the left forearm.
- Boar in profile indicating the article of the Criminal Code. Usually this is part 3 of article 131 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This tattoo is tattooed on the back of pedophile rapists.
- On the buttocks of people convicted of sodomy, there was a tattoo in the form of a dark male fireman.
- Ace, little imp, bee on buttocks. The custom of punching the offender with an ace after each sexual intercourse is present in some prisons. Moreover, some passive homosexuals have many such small tattoos. Sometimes free space simply runs out.
What are they doing?
Contrary to the stereotype, the proportion of voluntary homosexuals among those offended is low.
Most prisoners become cocks for offenses unrelated to the sexual sphere.
Below is what people are put in prison for. Usually these are various serious violations of the rules of prison life:
- Failure to pay card debt. Unrepaid debts in prison have to be paid in blood, and the only alternative to save life is the provision of sex services.
- Body contact with another rooster outside of sexual intercourse.
This rooster is punished very cruelly after such incidents (even to the point of being killed), but the person with whom he came into contact never ceases to be degraded. The offended, driven to despair, often take advantage of this for the purpose of revenge. Sometimes physical contact is not necessary - just spending the night in the cockpit is enough. - Weakness of character, inability to stand up for oneself. For some things (for example, for sending to ...) you must definitely ask for an answer. If the offended party does not do this, then it may lose all its authority and move into the category of the offended.
- Snitching.
- Stealing property from other prisoners.
- Putting another person down without a good reason.
- Cute appearance, high-pitched voice, affectation - these factors increase the likelihood of getting a residence permit in the rooster's corner.
Release can also be carried out by order of the prison administration to remove unwanted prisoners from prison life.
The most popular method is to lock the prisoner in a cockerel at night.
But the attitude towards such neglected people in the prison community is more loyal.
The 2000s and beyond have seen a shift away from descent by rape. This is due to increased control over the internal regulations of correctional institutions, and greater attention has been paid to protecting the rights of prisoners.
According to Article 132 of the Criminal Code, the term for gang rape ranges from 4 to 10 years. For this reason, other rituals, such as rubbing the lips with the penis, began to be used instead of sexual violence.
Offended: what does this mean?
Those offended in the zone - who are they? The “offended” caste is a group of prisoners who are not homosexuals or forcibly deprived , but are still ignored in the zone. This group includes:
- “finished” with “ridges”, i.e. those who touched him and his things or communicated with the “rooster” of their own free will;
- those who lost at cards and did not repay the debt;
- child killers;
- prisoners subjected to constant beatings and unable to stand up for themselves.
Even the most authoritative prisoner can “finish up” and become “offended”: the rules of communication with “crests” are the same for everyone. And in some cases, authorities are subjected to “finishing” on purpose - on the orders of another prisoner, the “lowered” person can himself approach the authority and touch him. As a rule, “combs” commit such actions out of despair, in cases where they are threatened with reprisals for failure to comply with an order.
However, after “finishing” another prisoner, the “comb” exposes himself to no less danger: he can be killed for his offense.
The rights and responsibilities of the “offended” are the same as those of the “omitted”. Basically, the division between these two castes is very arbitrary and is based only on the presence or absence of sexual contact with the male sex.
At any moment, the “offended” person can be sexually assaulted and relegated to the rank of “dismissed.”
We invite you to watch a video about those offended in the zone:
Why do you need to sit in a basin?
In prison there is a special form of testing a prisoner for “leakyness” - i.e. for sexual contact with a man. To do this, they bring him a basin filled with cold water, into which the prisoner must sit down, having first lowered his pants.
If bubbles appear in the water, the prisoner is considered “punched.” But this is more of a myth. It’s unlikely that anyone is doing this now.
Responsibilities and prohibitions of the offended
The responsibilities of those omitted include performing the dirtiest work, such as washing toilets, emptying buckets, cleaning sewers, and cleaning workshops. Other prisoners cannot take the food that the roosters eat. Those who are lowered are washed from separate washbasins. They must give way to other prisoners.
Conversations with members of other castes should be limited.
They are not completely prohibited, but talking to a rooster for a “man” can be fraught with loss of authority.
Those who have been omitted are required to immediately inform all new acquaintances of their status. Concealing information is punishable by severe physical injury. To make roosters easier to identify, special tattoos are applied to their bodies.
In some cases, it is possible to deviate from the established rules if this promises greater benefits. For example, if only roosters can carry packages, then you have to allow them to touch the products; this is not considered “stuff.”
What do they do with roosters in prison?
Once the main duty of the roosters was the sexual satisfaction of prisoners, but now it is practiced only on a voluntary basis.
Since, according to prison rules, it is forbidden to have sex with a prostitute without giving him a gift, many representatives of this caste engage in voluntary prostitution for reasons of material gain.
Help: the number of restrictions and prohibitions for roosters depends on the type of correctional institution.
In strict regimes, the attitude towards them is the most loyal, and the wildest orders reign in colonies for minors.
Beating of roosters is practiced only when they violate their duties and prohibitions. You cannot hit them with your hands, only with your feet, which makes the process especially humiliating for the offended person.
How not to?
If the prisoner is not a homosexual and is not imprisoned under “rooster” charges, then the rooster is released in prison only for malicious offenses. Therefore, in order to avoid the fate of the offended, he must follow the rules of prison life (for those who find themselves in prison for the first time, we provided advice on how to behave correctly in order to survive and avoid unpleasant situations in this material).
Briefly about how to avoid becoming a rooster in prison:
- Watch your words. Do not reveal unnecessary details of your sexual and personal life, do not offend anyone without reason.
- Have pride. Be able to stand up for yourself and demand a response from the offender.
- Minimize contact with roosters. This includes refraining from participating in their beatings and rapes. Even in prison you need to remain human, and humanity is valued there.
- Do not steal from your own people, do not snitch, do not cooperate with the administration.
The following articles will help you learn more about the life of prisoners in Russian prisons:
- Photos of cells in Russian prisons.
- What can be sent to prison by parcel, and what will be returned?
- What do they feed prisoners in prison?
- Is it possible to use a telephone in prison and is there internet?
- How are visits held in prison, how many are there and what can you take with you?
- How to organize a wedding in prison and how will the celebration take place?
- How to divorce a husband serving a sentence in prison?
