I recently spoke with a friend of mine who has a neighbor who recently returned from a women’s colony. She said how difficult it is to find a job for a person who has left such correctional places. My friend got into a conversation with her and learned about how difficult life is for women in correctional colonies.
On the one hand, they must correct the worldview of people who have stumbled and direct them in the right direction. But in fact, over the course of several years, there is only an even greater separation from social society, because the treatment of prisoners there is disgusting. I was extremely interested in this topic, and I decided to get more information about it. Therefore, today let’s discuss the topic of keeping prisoners in women’s colonies.
general characteristics
No one can be sure that he will never end up in prison. Women are not immune from this either. Among the total number of crimes committed, the share of women is about 5%. There are about 35 correctional institutions of various types in Russia. They hold approximately 60 thousand women, including currently about 13,000 minor girls.
All conditions of detention directly depend on the form of the correctional institution. For women they are provided in the following types:
- general regime , which includes women who have committed intentional crimes of grave and especially grave degrees;
- colonies-settlements , they contain less dangerous criminals who are forced to serve their sentences;
- strict regime, they include especially dangerous criminals who have committed criminal acts more than once.
For the most dangerous women in Russia there are only 2 institutions located in:
- Bereznyaki;
- Shakhovo village.
Here they are not just holding women who have repeatedly committed a crime, but all their actions were of a particularly serious nature. Usually they are imprisoned here for murder. Criminals who have been repeatedly convicted of theft most often end up in the general regime.
In addition to these institutions, there are also pre-trial detention centers where accused persons are kept until they are sentenced. If a woman admits her guilt for a serious crime, she is placed in a pre-trial detention center. Typically, all insulators were always mixed. But now they have begun to separate them, so there are 3 women-only pre-trial detention centers in the capital, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
It is important to note that women are not given life sentences, so there are no special detention facilities for them as there are for men.
Recommendations
- ^ a b c d f
"Violenza in un carcere femminile (1982)".
Archivio del Cinema Italiano
. Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive e Multimediali (ANICA). Retrieved May 23, 2022. - ^ a b
Firsching, Robert.
"Violence in a Women's Prison." Allmovie
. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 31, 2013. - Willis 1985, para. 158.
- Willis 1985, para. 207.
- "Violence in a Women's Prison (1982)." AllMovie. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
- Paul 2005, paragraph 219.
- DVD "Violence in Women's Prison". Blu-ray.com
. 2002. Retrieved May 23, 2022. - "Violence in a Women's Prison" Blu-ray. Blu-ray.com
. 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022. - Kotenas, Eric. "Violence in a Women's Prison (Blu-ray)." DVD drive
. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
Original sources
- Paul, Louis (2005). Italian horror film directors
. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8749-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (communication) - Willis, John (1985). Screen World
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36
. Crown Publisher, Inc. ISBN 0-517-55821-1 .CS1 maint: ref=harv (communication)
Conditions of detention
The conditions of detention depend on the type of correctional institution. But besides this, 2 identical colonies according to the established regime can differ significantly in conditions from each other. In one of them life will be unbearable, and in the other it may be more bearable.
As some returning prisoners say, living conditions largely depend on money. If they exist, then for them you can buy yourself a weaker regime, the favor of the head of the colony, and also win over your cellmates. But if no one sends additional money, newly arrived women have a hard time.
The convicts name the following as the main shortcomings and problems:
- Unsanitary conditions . Almost every prisoner will agree that not everyone can get the most basic hygiene products, even ordinary soap. It can also be difficult to go to the toilet. And women are forced to do all intimate procedures in front of everyone. And this greatly disturbs the psyche of any representative of the fair sex. Also, in strict colonies, women do not always have the opportunity to walk in the fresh air, and this creates additional sources of infection.
- Horrible attitude of the guards . Colonial staff often treat convicts as the very last people on earth. Of course, we can’t generalize everyone. But in almost every colony, convicts face such treatment. Therefore, humiliation and insults from colony workers are quite common.
- Poor food . It is considered balanced and makes it possible for convicts to survive, but it cannot be called high-quality and complete. Since state budget funds are allocated for the maintenance of criminals, savings occur to the maximum. Also, funds are often withheld from the head of the colony, who seeks to save even more on his prisoners.
- Terrible medical care . The risks of tuberculosis and HIV are very high here. The number of cases is striking, as it exceeds more than half of all prisoners. Women are not treated here, but only given emergency assistance if necessary.
- Financial relations between prisoners and administration . Almost all convicts admit that if they do not enter into commercial relations with the administration of the colony, life will not be normal. Therefore, regular collections are normal here. For these funds you can buy yourself additional meetings with your family, a weakening of the existing regime, as well as the opportunity to use a cell phone.
Of course, all these frauds occur unofficially, and there is no documentary evidence of this. But there can't be so many rumors if it were all untrue. You can find out more about this in the video presented.
Love and sex in prison
In women's colonies, homosexuality is generally less stigmatized than in men's colonies. In men's, this is treated as a serious crime, since it is a violation of the main principle of patriarchy. Public opinion has always allowed homosexuality for women. It was stereotypically seen as something frivolous and temporary. This idea was reflected in prison life. In a men's colony, homosexuality is the most severe stigma. Prisoners who enter into intimate relationships are not even second-class people, but fifth-class people. They are ignored, you cannot eat, drink, or share anything with them. This is not the case in a women's colony.
Another distinctive feature of the women's colony is very intense communication, incredibly simple. This is almost the only practice available to them; they do nothing else. Men are not all working yet, but women are working and talking. Moreover, everything is in plain sight. According to formal laws, this is prohibited, but almost everyone knows about love stories, including the administration. Often employees manipulate this.
Homosexuality can be situational, or it can be more serious when a woman identifies herself as a lesbian even before the colony. Situational appears due to loneliness and isolation. Girls who look like boys are highly valued in the colony. In order to gain status, avoid bullying, or be able to keep warm, some of them begin to behave deliberately masculine. We were told about the proceedings when such a woman was brought to light, establishing her biography. On the one hand, it's a little funny, but on the other hand, it's a significant moment of identity. Sincerity is one of the most valuable qualities there. If a person lies about the past, it will be hard for him in both male and female spaces.
Often women create pseudo-family couples, mostly two by two. However, they will not necessarily be in a romantic relationship. That's not the question here. This is a situation of forced cohabitation of people with different characters and biographies. In any case, even if there is no sex and romantic feelings, people need an emotional connection, otherwise the couple will not work. A colony is a very aggressive environment, so having some kind of support is simply necessary. In addition, the “family girls” share programs with each other. If one of them is free earlier, she will make parcels for her friend. This is a form of protection and arrangement of everyday life, and, perhaps, a certain inclination of a woman to live together. A person needs to argue with someone, grumble at someone, tell someone how things are at work, ask someone to leave a cigarette, drink coffee together. This is bringing meaning to existence: when you live not only for yourself, but also help someone.
Women sometimes use sexual violence to demonstrate power and humiliation, but this is not as common as in the men's colony. More often, in order to put a person in his place, it is not sexual violence that is practiced, but physical violence. There are also a lot of squabbles and fights, even within families and couples.
Romances between prisoners and colony staff are perceived as heroic, but here we need to understand that we are in the space of their narratives and understanding of what happened to them. For example, stories about men working in a colony may be assessed differently.
Treating such a romance as heroic, even if the woman experienced humiliation, may be a desire to normalize her story. Such intimacy cannot be considered completely voluntary, because the prison officer obviously has more power than the female prisoner. But stories with female security guards are more about victory and restoration of justice. Especially when the guard begins to take care of or help the prisoner. But there are also nuances here, because this can be a story of betrayal and exploitation. Proximity is a resource, alas.
In a prison, a colony, in unfreedom, all the systems of relations and mechanisms of power that exist in a free society are taken to the extreme, and look brighter and more prominent. Our everyday desires for understanding, separation, meaning, intimacy, justice also work within a closed institution. In both cases we can observe sincerity, commercialism, the struggle for power and resources, and so on.
Photo: Evgeny Epanchintsev / RIA Novosti
Violence
I would also like to pay special attention to the topic of violence. Since prisoners are forced to live in large groups, conflicts can often occur between them. And against this background, clashes between prisoners often occur. But fighting is officially prohibited. Therefore, if the administration of the colony becomes aware of such a clash, both will be punished. But here again money can play a role. In most cases, if you have money, you can buy it off.
But the second participant in the fight will have a hard time, as she may be placed in a punishment cell. They call it a small room where a person must spend several days as punishment. A distinctive feature of the punishment cell is the absence of light, as well as beds and mattresses.
The woman is forced to sit and sleep on the cold concrete floor. In case of resistance or violent behavior, women are often beaten with rubber batons. Their peculiarity is that they do not leave any special marks on the skin if used correctly. But using such a baton can cause great damage to the health of the convict.
There are also known cases of sexual abuse of prisoners. Of course, this is unacceptable and strictly punishable by law. But practically none of the female prisoners risk going against the colony administration. Since they are unlikely to be able to prove this, and their attitude towards themselves will be spoiled for the entire duration of their stay there.
Particularly “popular” ones can be identified as sexual torture:
- “ flight of the swallow ”, when a woman’s arms and legs are handcuffed to a bed and she is in a completely defenseless position;
- hanging by tied hands , in this position the woman also finds herself completely defenseless, only here more options for sexual entertainment are permissible;
- deliberate strangulation is one of the techniques used during sex.
Such cases used to be not uncommon, and often the case even ended with the prisoners becoming pregnant. Then they underwent illegal abortions right in the colony's medical infirmary. But now such arbitrariness of the administration is gradually fading away, since most colonies are equipped with video surveillance cameras. And this is additional evidence of criminal acts occurring on the territory of the colony.
Rules of conduct for beginners
The main rule for women entering prison for the first time is to behave politely and calmly. You should not show impudence and provoke other prisoners into conflicts.
However, it is important to defend your interests, but to do so in a reasoned manner and without violating the interests of other people.
Under no circumstances should you touch other people’s things or sit in someone else’s seat without permission.
The ability to communicate and make acquaintances will also come in handy. But it is important not to meddle in other people’s affairs and not “pour out your soul” about your problems. In prison you shouldn’t say too much at all. You should especially try to avoid talking about sex, since any admission of experience in non-standard sexual relationships can be used to recognize the woman as a member of a lower caste, which in itself can lead to violent acts of a sexual nature.
In everyday life, hygiene plays a particularly important role. Prisoners really don’t like sloppy neighbors who neglect the rules of personal care, which creates problems for the entire team.
“Until you crap yourself and piss yourself, we will continue”
The second former prisoner, Malkho Bisultanov, was sent to IK-7 in February 2015. He was forced to undress and take off his underpants.
Malkho Bisultanov:
— I asked permission to wrap myself in a towel or underwear, since I am a believer and cannot completely undress. The duty officer, Anatolyevich, asked: “Are you refusing to take off your panties?” I answered: “Yes.” He left. Three people attacked me, wrapped my arms, put a bag over my head and dragged me into an office opposite the toilet, handcuffed my hands and tied my legs. They put a hat with earflaps on his head over the bag and wrapped it with tape and wrapped it around his neck with tape. Then they put wires on the ring toes of both feet, doused my body with water and attached the wire to my genitals and shocked me. When I lost consciousness, they poured water on me again and hit me on my cheekbones.
When they shocked me, a healthy [large] man was sitting on my chest. He sat with his back to my face and held my knees when the electric shock made me bend over. The second one held his head, and the third one shocked him. I can’t say how long it lasted, since I periodically lost consciousness. When I was screaming and crying, the man who was holding my head, with his hand, either closed my mouth or opened it.
When I asked: “Why are you torturing me, what do you want from me?” They answered: “Until you crap yourself and wet yourself, we will continue.”
Then they pinched my nose so that I could only breathe through my mouth and gave me water through double pillowcases. When I started burping, the person holding my head turned me right and left. Then they removed one wire from the toe and put it on the head of the penis, doused the right side of the stomach, threw the wire there, and shocked him again. I fainted. When I woke up, they dragged me into some office. There was a cage in the corner of the office. They took me into a cage and fastened me to the cage: with one hand up, the other hand at the level of the middle of the cage, so that I could not sit down. Every hour they came and changed hands: they fastened the upper one down, and the lower one up. They told me to work with my hands so they wouldn't swell. But I couldn’t move my hands, I practically couldn’t feel them, and then they hit my hands, swore at me, called me names, twisted a key between my buttocks, and this continued until lunch the next day. I was completely naked, I had two pillowcases with vomit on my head, into which I belched during the torture.
The torture continued the next day - they beat Bisultanov with electric shock, hung him up, strangled him, tore out the hair on his chest, beat him on the feet, put a bag over his head and poured water into it.
