The Prison System of Ukraine: Results of the First Half-Year

As of 1 July 2014, there were 107,110 persons held in places of detention in Ukraine. These data are presented excluding persons held in institutions within the system in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as statistical information from there is no longer being received.
Given that the population of Ukraine as of mid-2014, excluding Crimea, was approximately 42.63 million people, the figure for the number of prisoners per 100,000 population in Ukraine was 251, whereas it was 279 at the beginning of the year.
Of the total number of persons in places of detention, 88,333 were convicts, including 1,896 serving life sentences.
In the first half of 2014, 33,155 persons entered penal institutions. During this period, 26,100 persons were released, including 10,107 on parole—or 51% of the number of persons eligible for parole.
There were 18,777 persons held in pre-trial detention centres (SIZO). During the half-year, prisoners left pre-trial detention centres for the following reasons:
because the court applied a non-custodial sentence – 866 persons,
because the preventive measure was changed – 1,827 persons,
because the sentence received did not exceed the actual time spent in the pre-trial detention centre – 1,168 persons,
in connection with the termination of cases and acquittal verdicts – 46 persons.
Women. In 14 women's penal colonies, 5,227 women are serving sentences, of whom 22 are serving life sentences. 1,162 women are held in custody in pre-trial detention centres pending a court decision. There were 62 infants in the two children's homes attached to the penal colonies.
Minors. In seven educational colonies, 618 persons were held, of whom 356 were convicted persons under the age of 18. There were 209 minors held in custody in pre-trial detention centres.
The ill. At the beginning of July, 5,813 HIV-positive individuals were registered in places of detention, of whom 832 were in pre-trial detention centres. There were 3,620 patients being treated for tuberculosis, of whom 362 were in pre-trial detention centres.
During the six months, 456 persons died in the institutions of the penitentiary service (10.3 deaths per 1,000 prisoners per annum; in 2013 this figure was 7.2, and in 2003 – 4.3), including 69 persons who died in pre-trial detention centres. During this period, there were 30 cases of suicide (0.68 cases per 1,000 prisoners per annum; in 2013 it was 0.66, and in 2003 – 0.21), including 5 in pre-trial detention centres.
There were 100,256 persons registered with the criminal-executive inspectorate. Of these, 82,962 persons were released from their sentence on probation, 4,683 were sentenced to community service, 8,122 were deprived of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities, 2,172 were sentenced to correctional labour, and 2,267 were brought to administrative liability in the form of community service.
There were 56,000 able-bodied persons in penal institutions, but only 26,000 were employed. The average monthly salary of employed persons in the first half of the year was 436 UAH. At the same time, the average monthly salary of convicts employed in positions providing for the economic maintenance of penal institutions and pre-trial detention centres was 1,218 UAH (in full-time equivalent).
In the first half of the year, 182 complaints were received by the apparatus of the State Penitentiary Service, and based on the results of their consideration, the information was confirmed in only one case.