Life in women's prisons differs in many ways from life in men's correctional institutions. If in the latter it is customary to live “according to concepts,” then in the society of female prisoners, different, less stringent laws apply. There is no such strict hierarchy here. In addition, in women's prisons there is no custom of “dismissing” inmates for almost every serious offense.
However, in colonies for women there are unique aggressors who are best avoided. And they call them cobbles. We'll talk about who they are below.
Who are cobbles?
Active lesbians have significant influence in the zone. We are talking about representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation taking on the role of a man. Such a woman is called a male here. These are active lesbians, who are characterized not only by masculine behavior, but also by an appropriate appearance - they cut their hair short and wear appropriate clothes. They are often rude in communication and very hot-tempered, which is why other prisoners avoid them. By the way, it is the males who most often start fights in women’s colonies.
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Since both in the wild and in the colony the family plays a primary role in the lives of most women, males try to find a mate. Moreover, they jealously protect their soulmate, ready to get into a fight at any sideways glance in her direction.
What do cobbles look like?
It is not difficult to identify an active lesbian in a women's colony. Kobles have short hair, do not wear skirts, smoke a lot, spit and actively use obscene language in their speech. There is no polish on their nails, they wear men's shoes and do not shave their legs. In general, they do everything to be as similar to men as possible.
To do this, they even take male camp names for themselves, trying to speak in a deep voice. And over time, a certain transformation does occur - the woman really becomes masculine, her features and faces become coarser, her gait changes.
As a rule, cobles are imprisoned for committing serious crimes: robbery, murder. They like to resolve conflicts with brute force, so other prisoners prefer not to quarrel with the kobla once again.
Hierarchy in the cell
Women's crimes are different from men's. Women are less likely to commit mercenary crimes, robberies, and robberies. They commit murders more often and cause serious domestic harm to health. This is explained by the fact that women are more emotional, and reason does not always guide a woman’s behavior, especially in moments of rage.
Husbands, lovers, and mistresses of their husbands become victims of female violence. When arrested, women do not resist or run away. Relations between prisoners are, as a rule, neutral. This is not a men's chamber where there is a struggle for leadership. The hierarchy in the cell is like a beehive - there is a queen - the “elder”, assistants to whom the elder delegates her unspoken responsibilities, and the rest of the girls.
The assistants monitor cleanliness, draw up a duty schedule, monitor food intake, and inspect the cell for items that are not allowed. Women's unions are often formed in prison, the so-called “family”, but these are not warm friendly relations. In the “family” they communicate, they can share food, clothes, cosmetics, but these relationships cannot be called bosom friendship. Most cells are designed for 40-60 people, with beds in two rows called “bunks”. There is a bed that is at the end of the cell, without a second shelf. It is called a “clearing” - the “elder” sleeps on it. The cell also has a kitchen and a toilet with shower. You can use the kitchen and toilet for an unlimited time, but you can wash things only on certain days. The cell is cleaned daily, three times a day.
The cleaning schedule is drawn up in advance, and it is impossible to refuse duty - the only exception is those who “sit” for a long time. Poor duty is punished with additional days of cleaning. Duty can be “sold” for two packs of cigarettes or for food. Girls are not allowed to enter the kitchen if the “elder” and her assistants are there. In order to maintain a calm atmosphere in the cell, girls are prohibited from swearing and using derivative words, so there is often absolute silence in the cell. The eldest is responsible for “training” the new ones. The process of getting used to the new life takes a week or two. The eldest in the cell distributes places, and the new ones get places near the entrance, the so-called “brakes”.
Pickers
This is the name given to women who enter into relationships with cobles and play the role of passive lesbians. Moreover, in the zone they are the majority, and they are often left without a mate. According to statistics, for every 10 pickers there are only three cobbles.
Active lesbians often achieve their other halves in the same way as men do. They court, give gifts, and then protect them, trying to provide a comfortable life. Manifestations of jealousy among cobbles are not uncommon. Therefore, they often prohibit pickers from wearing overly revealing clothes.
Hierarchy in the zone
After the verdict is passed, the woman is transferred to a pre-trial detention center. This is a huge stress for the female psyche, because it is impossible to prepare for a prison environment. “Having arrived at prison,” women lose their sense of reality. An operational worker is responsible for the distribution to cells. Usually they try to “pick up” a camera for a new arrival, but this is done not for the sake of the woman, but for the sake of the peace of mind of the employees - there are fewer conflicts, which means it is easier for the administration to work. Therefore, accountants and officials are in one cell, “collective farmers” are in another. This principle is violated only if accomplices are put in prison - always in different cells. In the zone, “who you are”, your position in society before prison, is of great importance. For example, whether you are a Muscovite or not, how often you receive broadcasts, how many letters they write to you, what you wear and what you eat - your own food or prison food. Thus, the attitude of the prison society is formed. Although the status is formed not only with the help of the “pre-prison” situation, it also depends on the individual. Conflicts end in a raised voice, but there are practically no fights, and if they happen, it is without serious damage. Murders are generally a rare occurrence in a women’s cell. If the prison administration finds out about the conflict, the culprit will be punished, and it is easy to find the instigator. Therefore, they try not to conflict without a good reason. In the zone, “who you are”, your position in society before prison, is of great importance. For example, whether you are a Muscovite or not, how often you receive broadcasts, how many letters they write to you, what you wear and what you eat - your own food or prison food. Thus, the attitude of the prison society is formed. Although the status is formed not only with the help of the “pre-prison” situation, it also depends on the girl’s personality.
Distribution of roles
In a family formed in a women's colony, the male dog takes on the role of breadwinner and protector. For example, buying groceries, resolving issues with cellmates, etc. A passive lesbian, called a “picker,” will fulfill the duties of a housewife. She cooks, sets the table, etc.
In prison, representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation play out family life in the full sense of the word: with scandals, betrayals, etc. And even after leaving prison, the cobles try to maintain relationships with their camp wives.
For example, having committed a murder, a woman was sent to prison for 8 years. Here she met her love. Her husband was waiting for her in freedom, with whom she separated as soon as she returned from prison. So did her prison partner. Moreover, both women took a very long time to get used to life in freedom, marveling at the “mess” that reigns here and claiming that there is no such thing in prisons.
Alliances between prisoners often persist throughout the entire period of imprisonment. And the point here is not only about satisfying sexual needs, but also about the desire to have moral protection. The main difference from men's prisons is the complete absence of violence. All actions are carried out solely by mutual consent.
Experts believe that the habit of creating camp unions originates in colonies for juvenile delinquents, where girls often create husband-wife couples.
News
In 2003, about three hundred amendments were made to the Criminal Code and the PEC: the strict regime for women was removed; they reduced the period that a prisoner must serve to be transferred to a colony-settlement (for example, from a general regime to a colony-settlement it became possible to transfer after serving 1/4 of the term, instead of 1/3, as before); increased the number of dates (instead of four per year – six); the chances of being released on parole have formally increased; prisoners began to be given permission to visit relatives outside the zone - all this with impeccably good behavior, of course. Good behavior means absolute loyalty to the administration, cooperation, and participation in “camp events.” By the way, at first visits outside the zone were indeed allowed, but this practice quickly stopped. And the process had already been launched, the women understood what and how to do in order to go out earlier or get a date outside the zone, in general, so that “everything would be fine.”
The concept of masculine and feminine
– Did you cooperate with the administration? - we ask Marina, who served four years in IK-5 in Mozhaisk back in the 90s and six years in IK-6 in Shakhovo (1998-2004, Oryol region).
-What are you talking about? For what? It’s a strange question,” Marina is indignant, “I lived by the rules.” What kind of cooperation are we talking about?
Marina talks a lot and emotionally about the fact that before the innovations of 2003, women prisoners, of course, were not a big friendly family, but meanness and snitching were not legalized. Even women were guided by the old thieves’ “concepts,” although “concepts” were, in general, not common for women in the colonies.
“Women picked it up from men, then they still adhered to some rules, they were afraid of something. Therefore, it was very difficult to identify the informer,” Marina recalls. Then they were not loved, they were hunted down, beaten, shaved bald. “The area around the operational area was always empty. And even if you go there with the question “my mother is not feeling well, something needs to be done,” everyone immediately suspects you.
And the colony administration put pressure.
“They didn’t consider us as people; they deprived us of everything.” They were put in a punishment cell for not making the bed straight; because girls used soap and coal to make mascara for themselves,” says the former prisoner. Strong pressure from the administration, by the way, is one of the reasons why women in the colonies were more united then.
In 2003, everything changed - now you can even announce to the entire zone, warn: “I’m now going to report you to the police unit.”
– This has become the norm. And you won't do anything to the informer. Open denunciation began, a line formed at the operational unit,” Marina shrugs.
Colonial staff began keeping an eye on the informers. The one who knocked earned himself incentives, and they are very necessary: a woman, as a rule, has a family, children, and often women are ready to turn a blind eye to violations by the Federal Penitentiary Service; they do not want to demand respect for their rights; women in the colony, as a rule, just want to return home.
“Everyone started going over their heads to get leave, to be allowed a visit, to get out earlier,” explains one of the former prisoners.
For men, the “concepts” have been preserved, although they have been quite transformed.
– For example, quite recently it was believed that going into an opera’s office alone was a sure sign of snitching. And decent convicts even tried to come to the police station when called, accompanied by a witness. Today they have practically forgotten about this,” recalls Vladimir, who served in IK-10 in Yekaterinburg for more than seven years.
“Nowadays, either old thieves in law or young fools who don’t know concepts as such, but see their main task in observing them,” adds Ilya, who was recently released from a penal colony near Ryazan.
One of the employees of pre-trial detention center-5 in Moscow (“Vodnik”) also says that “concepts” as such are observed only by prisoners of the old school, thieves in law.
– For some reason, many people think that “thief in law” is some kind of criminal term that characterizes a prisoner negatively. But let's figure it out. “In the law” means they comply with the law - they have their own strict code, their own rules, concepts. For example, the iron rule for a thief in law is not to actually kill,” explains a FSIN employee.
This means that a thief in law is obliged to avoid bloodshed in every possible way. I mean when you can avoid it. But if it didn’t work out, then it didn’t work out.
Nowadays, those convicted are not guided by the “concepts” that are so emphasized in feature films, or rather, they simply do not know them.
“They call me from prison and ask: “What do the rays of the stars mean?” They ask the woman what this means. I say: “I don’t know what the rays mean, but I know that black is thieves, white is human.” They don’t know anything, they have no one to ask,” says one of the former prisoners. There are few old thieves left in the zones.
The worst of the worst
In both women's and men's colonies, there used to be a special section - quite official, by the way - SDiP (section of discipline and order).
– SDiP is a continuation of the administration. It’s scarier than the administration, angrier and stricter,” Tatyana recalls.
In simple terms, SDiP are prisoners who monitored order in the colony and knocked. And they weren't beaten. And being in this section is very beneficial. The downside could only be irreparable reputational losses.
There are articles with which it is better not to even end up in a colony or pre-trial detention center: for women, this is Art. 106 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (infanticide), for men - 134 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (pedophilia). If a person goes to prison with such an article, his life will most likely be even more difficult than one can imagine - his own prisoners will not let him live. Therefore, those convicted under such articles seek salvation from the administration, and it willingly saves them - for a certain fee. And the best payment everywhere and always is information. Officially, SDiP was abolished in 2010, but in both men's and women's colonies, people who were previously members of SDiP were simply made responsible for compliance with safety regulations, fire safety, etc., but their duties remained the same - to knock. And informers are valuable; the administration protects them from prisoners.
Previously, until 2003, child killers were treated very cruelly in the zones.
“But they still don’t kill in women’s zones.” They yell, they spit, but they don’t kill,” says Marina, who was imprisoned back in the 90s, “although I remember one case when there was a rumor that a woman was being brought to us who had raised a child with a hammer. And then for the first time I saw how all the women stood in two rows and waited for her. They were really waiting to kill her. But they managed to take it through some gardens and take it out. They realized that she would not survive, we all went out just to tear her apart.
To ensure that such and many other incidents related to violation of discipline were as few as possible, the colony workers formed such sections as SDiP - in both women's and men's zones. And women, who most likely will not be liked in the colony, are immediately placed in high positions - orderlies, for example. Thus, they have direct access to the administration, which some of them actively use.
– Let’s say I said something rude to her, she went at me and complained, they called me right away. And this could end in a punishment cell. This can happen even if we just had a fight over a thrown, unwashed rag. The administration simply doesn't want problems. Previously, child killers had buckets of urine poured on their heads (I was told about this), and when I was already in prison, they were supported and encouraged by the administration, they perform, take part in concerts, sing songs,” Tatyana recalls.
As a rule, child killers hide the article: they have Article 105 of the Criminal Code - murder - on a sign attached to their bed (in some zones and on a patch on their uniform), but nowhere is it written who she killed. They don’t write their real, 106th, article to female child killers—apparently, they hide it and protect it.
“But the zone is like a village, you can’t hide anything there, over time everyone will know everything about everyone.” In the colony they have little contact with child killers, but arguing with them is not beneficial for anyone - everyone wants to go home, everyone wants to be released on parole, no one wants to sit in a punishment cell for several days.
In men's colonies, unlike women's colonies, those convicted of pedophilia receive special treatment - the same as 10-20 years ago.
“They may not make it to the colony.” Sometimes pedophiles are killed while still in pretrial detention, says one of the former prisoners.
Of course, the authorities have compromised themselves quite a lot - by imprisoning everyone indiscriminately under this article: someone’s competitors, someone’s unfaithful or departed husbands - a simple statement about a person’s commission of certain actions is enough, and it is very likely that the person will go to jail. And “pedophilia” is a convenient article; the life of the convicted person actually ends. Therefore, prisoners are already looking at the person, at the case, at the composition.
“But in obvious cases, of course, they won’t look into it,” explains Vladimir.
That is, at a minimum, a pedophile will not be able to live normally in a colony. If those convicted under Article 134 go to the camp, then most often they already have a special status - “offended”, “roosters”. And the administration does not hide pedophiles. Male prisoners do not have articles written on their stripes, but each one has a tag on their uniform with a stripe (or stripes) of a certain color - depending on their article and “inclinations.” Men with 134 articles have two stripes on their tag - black and white. Black is a tendency towards homosexuality, white is a tendency to suicide. That is, if something happens to a pedophile in a colony, it can be attributed to suicide - he is inclined, they warned.
Hunger and aunts
“In women’s zones, three pillars rule: stupidity, greed and envy,” Tatyana continues the story, “everything is built on this.” If you start to actively help someone, then prepare for the fact that this person will become your enemy. Because he begins to quietly hate you because he begins to depend on you for something. This exists in the wild, it’s just that in the zone it manifests itself more clearly, everything is in plain sight.
In conclusion, in general, everything appears brighter and is felt more sharply. There is a strong lack of familiar products, communication, and information. Both in the pre-trial detention center and in the colony, prisoners live in “families”.
- You choose the person with whom you are more pleased to communicate from this entire crowd. Because it’s really hard alone. And so - you can talk, and some kind of joint organization of everyday life, common bags, common purchases, - recalls Ekaterina.
In a year and a half in the Nizhny Novgorod exemplary penal colony-2, you can get used to everything - the lack of warm clothes and normal food, Troika cigarettes and inedible canned food from the prison store, a bathhouse once a week and a nagging toothache after every cold, to the lack of hot water in winter (and this is not the worst situation).
— The so-called bathroom is located practically on the street. The barracks have been in need of repair for a long time. It’s 20 degrees below zero outside, and you go wash in this icy water. And due to the fact that there is no hot water, this is simply a disaster,” says Ekaterina, who was sentenced to two years, of which she spent 6 months in a pre-trial detention center.
One and a half years is an insignificantly short period of time, according to the administration and employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service, uninteresting, trivial, and dragging on indefinitely for a person who has ended up in prison. Therefore, women unite into “families” and begin to support each other.
“There are cases when people live together for ten years, and it’s such a tragedy - when one is released, the second does not know how to move on. But here again it depends on the timing. The girl I was talking to also had a short term, so we closed our eyes together and went.
Such communication, as former prisoners say, helps organize free time. You can't lie down, you can't sit still either.
“And so you circle around the colony, telling something,” the women recall.
There is little free time “there”, but everyone notes that it would be nice if there was none at all. “It’s better to be busy with something all the time, to work, so time flies faster. Well, that’s how it is in the wild.”
One and a half to two years in a colony seem endless - every day is the same, the clothes are the same, everything is the same, life is from date to date, there are few positive emotions, there are no events and impressions. One and a half to two years are endless. And three, five, eight, fifteen years are also endless. And people adapt, learn to feel, make friends, love in such conditions: when a closed space and there are always a lot of people nearby; when memories of your former life fade in a matter of months; when the bathhouse is one common room, fifty taps and one hour per squad; when it’s not a bed, but a bunk; when it's not a room, but a barracks.
Someone is lucky: someone's relatives can come, bring tasty and necessary things, just communicate and make them happy. Tatyana, for example, was so lucky.
“My relatives didn’t abandon me, we called each other on the phone, they didn’t miss a single date.” And you live there from date to date. You leave a date and walk around inspired for another two or three days, and then they crush you a little - “that’s enough” - you again live only with thoughts about the next date.
But if relatives live far away - and then it is often time-consuming and expensive to come - or if they don’t exist at all, then the female prisoner, naturally, very rarely receives parcels. And such women also often become foremen, orderlies, etc., because the higher your position, the more discounts and concessions you receive, the closer you are to freedom, home, and for many this is much more important than the strongest friendship with someone in the colony.
“I already realized there that the most humiliating thing that can happen in a person’s life is hunger,” recalls one of the former prisoners. This is when you want to eat all the time, because gruel is nothing. You have nothing to eat, but someone is sitting next to you and eating deliciously. Sometimes this creates hatred in people - because of what you eat. And they begin to harm you, spy on you, snitch on you with or without reason.
This does not mean that everyone who holds high positions in the zone will go to great lengths to earn parole; there are also good orderlies and foremen.
“We had a girl who was an orderly, and simply because of her job she had to knock, because they are also under pressure. And she knocked,” recalls Ekaterina. “But she coordinated with other prisoners what she would say. It was something like this: “Listen, you’re leaving in a week anyway, nothing will happen to you. Shall I say that you have food in your locker?” And everyone agreed fine.
Love and pigeons
- They are curtained on both sides - it’s a two-story bed. You don't see anything, but you hear. At first you don’t know how to react, you get lost. When I got into the zone, I was 37 years old, and I was in shock - I was lying on a bed on the second tier, and all this was happening below me. You lie there, not moving, you don’t know if you can get out of bed at this moment. There are no ladders in the zone, like in the isolation ward; you climb down either at the end of the bed, or as you wish. And then, over time, you simply stop paying attention to it, you can already say directly: “Get away from me, lesbians, I hate that you are doing this here in front of me.” I could say that.
After these words, some women even came up and said: “Don’t call me that, I hate that you call me that.” Then Tatyana answered: “Well, what should we call you? Are you lesbians? Lesbians. How else?”
In women's colonies, homosexuality is quite common. And if in IK-2 in Nizhny Novgorod several years ago there were almost no homosexual couples, and the administration suppressed such relationships, then in IK-5 in Mozhaisk the administration not only knew about same-sex couples, but also actively used this knowledge. For example, if one of the women in a pair began to work worse, then the second was called and recommended to influence her friend - otherwise the couple would be separated, one of the women would be transferred to another detachment. “Yours will go to another detachment, will work on another shift” - the magic words. The most terrible punishment, a fail-safe method of influence. Therefore, homosexuality in colonies often becomes a prohibited phenomenon when they want to punish for something.
Same-sex love in women's colonies is a good means for manipulation by the FSIN officers. For example, in some colonies there is an internal rule - a month before release a woman stops working - she can do nothing or just help someone.
“And there was a woman with us in the colony, a magnificent seamstress. After a month she gets out, she stops working,” Tatyana recalls, “and this woman remains in the zone with her other half. And the foreman comes up to this woman and says: “What, don’t you want to work? Well, don't work. You’ll go home in a month, but yours will remain here.” And the woman sits down and sews. And a month later she goes straight from behind the typewriter to the gate to free herself.
According to former prisoners, 90% of same-sex couples are opportunists; these women were not homosexual before they entered the colony.
“They become like this out of necessity.” That is, she has a term of 20-25 years, and there is nothing to do about it. And if she can do it, then why not.
Women who take on the man's role in such couples are called "cobles." As a rule, they have short men's haircuts, men's names, men's physiques, and often perform men's work.
— We had a team of so-called general workers at Mozhayka (in IK-5 in the city of Mozhaisk - editor's note) - these are girls who load cars. And they had Valya the foreman there, tall and broad-shouldered. The movers are the only group of people who are allowed to go out of uniform. And Valya has a man’s bearish gait, she walked around in a baseball cap, a plaid shirt, and sneakers of the last size forty. There are such women who are almost impossible to distinguish from men. And only during the check do you realize that this is a woman,” Tatyana recalls.
The concept of female beauty in the colonies is the same as in the wild - a beautiful figure, neat clothes. And all the women in the colony have the same clothes - a uniform. And this uniform is altered and sutured as best they can, additional cuts are made on the skirts. There is only one uniform, and it just needs to be washed sometimes, but there is nothing to change into.
“Everyone is trying to get out as best they can.” I had a uniform sewn separately. It was a classic double-breasted office jacket and a classic pencil skirt. It was made from the same fabric as the regular uniform. At the same time, when I wore this uniform, the colony workers said: “Look how good **** looks, she’s always neat,” recalls Tatyana.
And everyone knew perfectly well that Tatyana’s uniform was made from stolen fabric for 3 cartons of cigarettes - it was sewn in a prison factory during working hours.
In men's colonies, as well as pre-trial detention centers and prisons, there is no such thing as same-sex love; homosexuality, to put it mildly, is not welcome.
“The “blues” among prisoners are considered the lowest category of people: they are not allowed to eat at the common table, they do the dirtiest work,” says Peter, he spent a total of about five years in the Saratov colonies.
Words that you won't say
In the colony, everything is sold and everything is bought, the main currency is cigarettes and cans (canned food). Only a normal life cannot be bought, because by definition it cannot exist there, and people in the colony change, their speech and habits change. But women, unlike men, do not start a riot, do not “shake” the regime - because they do not want to go to a punishment cell (and a punishment cell = not being released on parole), because they want to go home. According to Marina, who served a total of about ten years, the woman in the colony has victim syndrome. These are victims whose roommates often drink and beat. The victim syndrome has taken root in a woman, and with this she comes to the colony.
“We were in a tizzy only once—when we encountered processing for the first time.” Then everyone didn’t go to the parade ground together, didn’t go to work, waited for Babushkin,” Marina recalls, “and some stupid rumor spread that Babushkin had arrived, that he was near the gate, and we stood and waited. But no one, of course, came; the festivities themselves lasted no more than an hour. The women are quickly persuaded: because women want to go home, they are afraid. I'm not afraid, but there are few of them.
Often the most frightening thing is not that a person can go to prison, but how prison can change a person. And prison changes a person, but for good or bad - it depends on the person himself. There are those who fight not to change, so that speech does not change, degradation does not begin, and with such people everything will definitely be fine. Sometimes it is very important to fight the environment, and that’s how Tatyana fought.
— If earlier such (swear words - editor's note) words sometimes slipped into my speech, then when I went to prison, I basically stopped swearing.
The woman did not use slang words: that is, the bed was a bed, not a bunk, the table was a table, not an oak tree, the serving window was a serving window, and not a stern.
“I understood perfectly well that if I started using these words now, then I would use them unconsciously, simply because they entered my vocabulary, and I want to go free to normal people and speak with them in a normal language. I have a decent vocabulary, I can do without all this.
Therefore, to the question “What is the most difficult thing in prison?”, women answer simply: to preserve the person, the personality within. Because it’s very easy to go with the flow, to go downhill, but to remain a normal person, you still have to try.
“Of course, I understand that this is already considered jargon - “don’t believe, don’t be afraid, don’t ask,” but it’s true,” says one of the former prisoners. – There is no one and nothing to be afraid of. It’s hard for you, you’re hungry, you’re cold – don’t go and don’t ask.
Text: Svetlana Osipova Photo: Elena Anosova
Showdowns due to jealousy
Most serious conflicts in women's colonies occur precisely because of the jealousy of cobles. Moreover, sometimes a misunderstanding turns into a bloody brawl with a fatal outcome.
In men's prisons, much of the violence is perpetrated by guards. In women's prisons, aggressive cellmates can bully prisoners. At the same time, the administration is not taking any action to pacify the aggressor.
Fights here often turn out to be more severe in comparison with male showdowns. So, teeth, nails and various improvised objects can be used. Sometimes women are so keen on sorting out relationships that a common misfortune does not unite them at all.
Love in the zone
Female love in the zone is a more discussed phenomenon. Love relationship . These relationships are not only physiological, but also in a couple, women strongly support each other and stand up for each other. Lesbian couples often continue their relationship outside of prison. If the “second mover” finds out that her love is sitting in the next cell, then she does everything to be nearby. In the end, the prisoner gets her way, and the couple is reunited. Prison morality does not condemn love, so girls set up their own “corner” for physiological needs. The prison administration takes such connections calmly.
Comment
Are there lowered ones in women's areas?
Despite the lack of a strict hierarchy, omissions are also found in women's colonies. However, the attitude towards them is more disgusting than aggressive. The exception is child killers. They are openly despised in women's colonies, giving such prisoners “dark” at every opportunity. To prevent cases of lynching, such prisoners are kept in separate cells.
Also, a contemptuous attitude is demonstrated towards long-time drug addicts, in particular heroin addicts. In women's prisons they are considered unreliable, often engaging in “informing” for any reward.
Prisoners also avoid women with HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. It also turns out to be quite difficult for people with cancer to find a social circle.
Since women work in the colonies, lazy people are not tolerated here. The fact is that the fate of the entire camera team depends on the development of production standards. Accordingly, due to the laziness of one person, all his cellmates may suffer.
"Family Girls"
Convicts held in women's colonies often create “families.” We are talking about small groups of women running a joint household and providing each other with comprehensive support.
“Family” is a group of two or more people. And not in every case, members of the “family” have sexual contact with each other. The main goal of such communities is to make life easier in the zone, because it turns out to be much easier to survive together. And “family women” in this case refer to women who are members of such communities.
How to avoid violence in a women's prison
Each correctional institution has its own rules. Both representatives of the administration and the prisoners themselves can abuse prisoners. However, there is a general list of recommendations to make the process of staying in prison easier:
- You should not argue with the prison administration. Correctional officers can provoke prisoners and deliberately create conflicts. You should not give in to provocations.
- It is advisable to find a company. Surviving in prison alone is difficult. It is better to try to establish friendly relations with one of the cellmates.
- You should not shirk from work. They don't like lazy people in the zone.
- The programs must be shared with fellow inmates. Generosity is encouraged in prison. It is customary among prisoners to share.
- You can't show weakness of character. The weak in spirit are not welcome in either men's or women's prisons.
- You should not cooperate with the administration. If the inmates become aware of this, they may severely beat the informant. Moreover, some women fight no worse than men, showing excessive cruelty.
Thus, even ordinary prison conditions can become real torture for an unprepared person. Moreover, in some correctional institutions, life for prisoners can be truly hellish.
"Old lady" or "parasha"
In neither men's nor women's prisons the latrine is called a "toilet." The tradition of replacing this term appeared in pre-revolutionary Russia. In those days, a tub intended for collecting sewage was called nothing more than an “old woman” or a “bowl”. Moreover, these terms were used not only by ordinary prisoners, but also by political prisoners, highly educated ladies, who were often heirs of aristocratic families.
These jargons have survived unchanged to this day. Today they are used in both women's and men's prisons.
"Rubles"
In the women's zone, there is a category of prisoners who fell into sexual slavery to “godfathers” - guards and other representatives of the camp administration. Such prisoners are called “ruble prisoners.” Moreover, this concept appeared during the Stalinist Gulag.
By providing clients with certain sexual services, such women received privileges. They were as follows:
- exemption from public works;
- additional food, etc.
At the same time, not all “ruble” ones were the same. There was also an internal hierarchy here. For example, in the 20-50s of the last century, the following types of privileged prisoners were distinguished on Solovki:
- “half-ruble”;
- “five-altyn” or “15-kopeck”;
- "rubles".
Naturally, the latter had the highest status. And depending on her rank, the woman received certain bonuses and benefits. If a prisoner refused sexual contact with her “godfathers,” she was severely oppressed and created difficult living conditions. Therefore, the concept of slavery is most suitable to describe the situation of such prisoners.
Checkered sky
Having crossed the threshold of the pre-trial detention center, I decided that my life was over. First, the convicted person is placed in so-called quarantine. It's like doctors. The camera is needed to prevent infectious diseases - so that no one from freedom brings any kind of infection.
Usually on the first day, new recruits are examined by a doctor or paramedic. Describes all tattoos and special features - scars, large birthmarks, deformities. If you were beaten or tortured, you need to tell the doctor about it, show bruises, abrasions, and complain about pain. Doctors must record everything.
Even in quarantine, they began to probe me - to check how strong I was in spirit. They found out if I had money, and if so, how much. If not, then you are told to get them, but where and how is not important. Before I got there, they told me: if you break, they will start loading you. I didn’t break down, so they didn’t bother loading me, although many girls fall for the tricks quite quickly and easily, and then can’t get rid of it.
I can tell you that quarantine provides for the administration to get to know the new prisoner. There is almost always an informer there. He listens to what the newly minted prisoners are talking about. Since people who came here for the first time are still in an incomprehensible state (they haven’t been convicted yet), they are talkative. Later, when a person gets used to it and comes to his senses, extracting the necessary information from him will be much more difficult than in the first days.
Later, I was assigned to a hut (cell - vb.kg), where six other women were imprisoned - for various crimes. I won’t say which ones exactly. I developed quite friendly relations with them. It was here that I realized that when a person ends up in a pre-trial detention center, in any case he needs to defend his position and know the rules.
I knew the rules because I had experience communicating with such a contingent - while still a student, I did an internship in a pre-trial detention center.
"Elder"
Once in the zone, the convict must first of all communicate with the “elder”. We are talking about the main prisoner in a cell or detachment. She is also responsible for internal order.
A lot depends on the “elders” in women’s prisons. For example, they can report to the prison administration about conflicting or unreliable individuals. Also, the “elder” can restore order in the cell on her own. Moreover, such prisoners often commit outright arbitrariness, to which representatives of the administration turn a blind eye. The reason is simple - it is the “elders” who help keep prisoners under control.
“Bychkososki” and “collective farmers”
We are talking about representatives of the lowest category of prisoners. Moreover, if in men's prisons any prisoner can become degraded, then in women's colonies “collective farmers” are called stupid and downtrodden prisoners. “Bychkosaki” are degraded prisoners who literally pick up cigarette butts from other prisoners.
Thus, the ritual of “lowering” itself is absent in women’s colonies. People here occupy the lowest level of the hierarchy due to their mental abilities or behavior.
If we take into account the rigidity of the gradation of prisoners and the coarseness of the local vocabulary, then life in women's colonies is simpler and calmer in comparison with men's. Violent conflicts are rare here, since prisoners prefer to discuss problems without showing aggression. The senior members of the squad monitor the observance of order and promptly suppress any manifestations of causeless cruelty.
