Zakarpattia Punishment Execution Institution (No. 9)

State Institution “Zakarpattia Punishment Execution Institution (No. 9)” is the oldest penal institution in the Zakarpattia region. It functions as a pre-trial detention centre, providing for the custody of individuals held under arrest, as well as specific categories of convicted persons in accordance with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation.

The institution is located in the historic centre of Uzhhorod and is an integral part of its architectural landscape. The building was constructed in 1926 by the government of the Czechoslovak Republic as a penal complex that was modern for its time. The institution’s design incorporated the best European practices for organising places of detention in the first half of the twentieth century, which was reflected in the layout of the cell facilities, the security system, and the administrative infrastructure.

In the pre-war period, the institution functioned as the Uzhhorod prison, holding both individuals held under arrest and those convicted of criminal offences. After Zakarpattia was incorporated into the Ukrainian SSR in 1945, the institution was transferred to the jurisdiction of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and continued to serve as a pre-trial detention centre and prison.

In 1959, in accordance with an order of the Ministry for the Protection of Public Order of the Ukrainian SSR, a general-regime correctional labour colony with a capacity of 550 people was organised at the site. The inmates held in the colony took an active part in the post-war reconstruction of Uzhhorod. A significant portion of the construction work in the city’s new residential districts was carried out with their participation.

In 1968, the correctional labour colony was reorganised into the Uzhhorod high-security educational labour colony for minors. Simultaneously, the pre-trial detention centre continued to function on the premises, for which separate rooms were allocated in the main building. Over the years, the construction and expansion of administrative, utility, and security facilities were carried out, as well as rooms for visits, the reception of parcels, production workshops, a library, and other premises necessary for the institution’s operation.

Following the disbandment of the educational labour colony in 1975, the main complex of buildings was gradually repurposed for the needs of the pre-trial detention centre. In subsequent decades, the security blocks, utility networks, and security systems underwent reconstruction and modernisation.

The period from the late 1980s to the early 1990s was particularly challenging for the institution, as the number of individuals taken into custody increased significantly due to rising crime rates. Despite the overcrowding of the institution and limited resources, the staff ensured the stable operation of the pre-trial detention centre and maintained an appropriate security regime.

During the reform of Ukraine’s criminal-executive system, the institution was transferred to the management sphere of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Criminal Punishments, and it subsequently became part of the structure of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine.

Today, State Institution “Zakarpattia Punishment Execution Institution (No. 9)” serves as a pre-trial detention centre for the Zakarpattia region, providing for the custody of those under arrest as well as certain categories of convicts. Significant attention is paid to respecting human rights, medical care, social-educational work, and the creation of proper conditions of detention in accordance with national legislation and international standards.

The institution remains an important element of the justice system in the Zakarpattia region and is one of the oldest active penal facilities in the region.

The current head of the institution is Vasyl Vasylovych ANTALOVSKYI.

Contact Information

State Institution “Zakarpattia Punishment Execution Institution (No. 9)”

88000, Zakarpattia region, Uzhhorod, Dovzhenka St., 8-A

Telephone: (0312) 63-03-44
E-mail: [email protected]

Head of the institution: Vasyl Vasylovych ANTALOVSKYI.