A friend of mine has a minor son going on trial for robbery. His parents are at a loss, trying to find out what awaits him - they will send him to a colony or give him a suspended sentence. And, if sent, then in what conditions will he have to live? I, as a practicing lawyer, described to my parents all the “prospects” for convicting the young man. I am ready to share my knowledge with you. Study my article. Here you will get answers to questions such as:
- At what age can a person be sent to prison?
- What is a colony?
- What modes of serving sentences exist?
- What crimes can a teenager be imprisoned for?
- How do juvenile criminals live in colonies?
What does the legislation say?
Juvenile offenders in modern practice around the world represent a special type of subjects of legal relations. Due to their behavioral, general moral, and also intellectual failure, adolescents are not able to realize the actions they are performing.
For this reason, special institutions have been created for this category of people in the modern correctional state system.
Criminals under 18 years of age are not sent to prison in the usual sense of the word. They are sent to specialized colonies.
Any colony for teenagers does not belong to the category of punitive, but only correctional. This approach creates a special basis for the effective correction of minors, protecting them from future problems and violations of the law.
What is considered “bad” in the “youngsters”
In the zones where juvenile offenders are kept, there are a lot of different “taboos”, the violation of which threatens immediate punishment. Even the prisoners themselves don’t always know why this or that action cannot be performed, but there is only one answer: it’s a shame to do it. So, it's better not to take risks. So, it’s a shame to pick up fallen objects from the floor, especially a toothbrush and cigarettes. It is absolutely forbidden to lift soap in the bathhouse. It’s categorically “bad” not to wash your hands after using the toilet, and the point here is not only about hygiene, but also about the fact that the hand that touched the genitals becomes, as it were, “ritually unclean,” desecrating everything it touches. In the bathhouse you should use two washcloths, one to wash the body above the waist, the other below. The “thieves” eat black bread with tea, and especially dry bread. By the way, “youngsters” amaze with a number of strange “food taboos”. So, you can’t eat sausage, it looks like a man’s penis. Lard too, since the pig was “paraffinized” (impregnated) with the smell of sewage, the bread is raised by communists, so it is also “bad”, the chicken was trampled by the rooster, and so on. Of course, these rules were not followed everywhere and not always, but sometimes they served as a reason for finding fault with the person they intended to “put down.” In some colonies, young prisoners refuse to eat barley porridge, since chaff is “rooster food,” and cabbage is “goat food.” While eating, you need to make sure that the last spoon does not touch the bottom of the plate; there should always be something left at the bottom, otherwise they will be considered “not enough” (aka “gut fornication”). And finally, “zapadlo” is everything that is red. Red is the color of Soviet power, and power is the enemy of all “thieves” and “right boys.” Not a single correct convict in the “youngster” will ever pick up a red object in his hands. You couldn’t even smoke Prima cigarettes, because they came in a red pack. If someone’s mother comes on a date wearing a red jacket or a red scarf, the prisoner is obliged to refuse the date. However, after 1991 this taboo disappeared along with the “red power”.
At what age are teenagers imprisoned?
According to established rules, teenagers under 18 years of age are sent to children's colonies. In Russia, criminal liability applies from the age of 16. However, this factor does not mean that teenagers 14 years of age and younger cannot be sent to prison for a crime.
Children of this age category are held accountable by law for crimes such as:
- Killing a person.
- Aggravated theft and robbery.
- Sale and storage of narcotic substances.
- All forms of terrorism with grave consequences.
- Car theft.
Judicial practice shows that modern courts do not impose penalties on teenagers that involve actual imprisonment. For violations of mild and moderate severity, a suspended sentence is imposed.
Sentence to a colony for juvenile offenders is only possible in the presence of various aggravating circumstances, as well as if the teenager poses a significant danger to society.
Novooskolsk colony for minor girls
The Novooskol colony houses incarcerated girls aged 14 to 19 years from 53 regions of Russia. There are no people in this prison who are imprisoned for the second time. All the prisoners here were convicted for the first time.
Novooskolsk colony for minor girls
Education continues in the colony, and all standards issued by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation are observed. Thus, prisoners do not lag behind the school curriculum of regular schools. After graduating from school and receiving a certificate, in the Novooskol colony you can get a profession as a seamstress, green farm worker, cook, embroiderer, PC operator or office worker. Some manage to get three or four professions, and find employment in these professions when they are released.
Sewing workshop of the Novooskolsk colony for minor girls
Another interesting point is that in the Novooskol colony for girls you can even get a higher education. True, they do not take the Unified State Exam - according to the order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, persons serving sentences can undergo state certification in the form of a state final exam - these are tests in the form of tests in mathematics and essays in the Russian language. This is what most girls choose because it is easier to pass and there is less psychological stress. The certificate does not indicate that it was issued in a colony. And then you can study remotely at a university with which the colony has a cooperation agreement.
Classroom in the Novooskolsk colony for minor girls
In prison, girls, in addition to studying, also engage in sports - a platform has been equipped on the territory for passing the GTO standards. By the way, as a reward for good behavior, girls can go outside the colony, accompanied by a staff member.
Educational colony - what is it?
A modern teenage colony is the most common type of modern educational institutions in Russia. Until the beginning of 1997, such institutions were called labor colonies of various regimes or educational labor colonies. Their number was an order of magnitude lower than at present.
The rules for the correction of adolescents in institutions and their functioning are regulated by the 17th chapter of the modern Criminal Code.
Basic regimes of stay in a colony
According to the modern criminal and executive code, there are four main modes of implementing punishment for teenagers:
- Lightweight;
- Standard;
- Preferential;
- Strict.
Juvenile offenders who commit a crime for the first time are placed in a colony strictly under normal conditions. If the violator does not violate the regime and rules of stay during three months of official stay in the colony, he is automatically transferred to a more loyal regime.
If a criminal is constantly observed to have violations, if he periodically conflicts with those around him, he is automatically transferred to a strict regime. Just before his release and the end of his sentence, the offender is sent to a more loyal preferential treatment.
A detailed list of grounds for redirecting a convicted person from a previously established regime to another is prescribed in Article 132 of the Penal Code.
The main rules for keeping teenagers are also spelled out here. Here are the most basic conditions regarding the number of visits with family and friends:
- Standard conditions - 8 short visits and 4 long ones per year.
- Special facilitated conditions - 12 short and 4 longer meetings are allowed per year.
- Preferential conditions for stay – 6 long dates, the number of short ones is not limited.
- Strict conditions - 4 long meetings and 6 short ones.
Under all conditions, except strict ones, convicted teenagers spend a specified period of time in hostels. Under stricter conditions, violators who have not reached the age of majority live in special isolated premises.
Daily routine in the colony
The rules for staying in colonies and the internal regime are strictly regulated.
In any case, they are distinguished by more tolerant conditions of detention, in contrast to colonies that are used for adults. Teenage girls and boys who are sent to correctional colonies live separately. The content of criminals in these colonies looks like this:
- Teenagers are attracted to work. At the same time, the number of hours per working day fully corresponds to age;
- The work consists of sewing, making furniture, cooking;
- It is mandatory to attend school classes in which the school curriculum is mastered;
- It is prohibited to work at night and on general weekends;
- Exactly half of the earnings received are automatically transferred to the personal bank accounts of the criminals;
- Getting up on a normal day is carried out as standard at 6 or 7 am;
- Any daily important event begins with construction.
Minors, while serving their sentence, may receive special or higher education by correspondence.
Prison castes (“suits”)
- those who are classified as professional criminals. Next come the “criminals” (close to the “criminals”) and the “third table” (close to the “criminals”). The most numerous category of camp inmates are “boys”. This is the name given to guys who have committed the first crime in their lives and are determined to return to normal life after serving time. They do not violate the rules established by the "thieves", they do not cooperate with the administration, but, as a rule, they do not aspire to join the "thieves". Each representative of these castes can rise to the highest “suit”. Representatives of lower castes will never get such a promotion. These castes include: “forshmak” (those who committed an offense out of ignorance), “shortcutters” (always hungry, hiding bread in their pockets, finishing off pieces of food for their comrades, etc.), “shnyri” (servants), “goats” (informers ), “roosters” (passive homosexuals). However, each colony has its own variations of names and rules established for all “suits”. Perhaps, the status and names of only three “suits” remain unshakable: “thieves”, “boys” and “roosters”.
End of term
For colonies originally intended for teenagers, the issue of reaching adulthood before the end of the term is quite acute. This problem can be solved by one of two methods:
- Staying in an educational institution even after turning 18 years old.
- Transfer of a criminal from an educational colony to a more strict correctional colony.
The decision is made by the immediate head of the colony and the prosecutor leading the case. They are based on the following rules:
- A convicted teenager is left in a colony for one year until he turns 19;
- After turning 18, a violator can be transferred to a penitentiary if he constantly violates the established rules.
Such a transfer is carried out only on the basis of a court order. In the standard regime, criminals who have reached the age of 19 are sent by order of the chief to adult correctional colonies.
Punishment of teenagers and possible rewards
Directly depending on the teenager’s behavior and compliance with the rules, while serving his sentence, he may receive both punishment and special beneficial incentives from his superiors. This rule is enshrined in Articles 135 and 136 of the Penal Code.
If a juvenile offender behaves well, he will receive as a special reward or benefit:
- Transfer to more favorable conditions of stay for the colony.
- Attending interesting, educational cultural events and sports competitions. These could be events that happen outside. In this case, the prisoner must be accompanied by an employee of the institution.
- Providing the opportunity to go home early.
- You are allowed to leave the colony during the arrival of relatives.
In case of bad behavior and regular violation of rules, the following common sanctions are applied to a teenager:
- A reprimand that is recorded in the personal file;
- Placement in an isolation ward for some time;
- A fine in an amount not exceeding two minimum wages;
- Any leisure activity is prohibited.
If a teenager regularly violates the order and regime in a colony, he is transferred to tougher conditions by decision of the warden.
