Address by the Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Alexander Reimer, at the board meeting on 25 February 2011

The measures we are initiating today, some of which have already been implemented, are by no means measures aimed at the liberalisation of the country's penal law.

‘Sign for a new term’

In Stalinist times, before the end of their detention, a convict would be summoned to the security post and made to read an order assigning a new term of punishment. It could be as long as ten years.

A Pre-Christmas Journey to America, or Getting to Know the US Penitentiary System

For their work, employees of the US penal system receive a decent salary and have proper social protection from the state. However, it is not only we who have something to learn from the Americans, but our overseas friends should also adopt our experience in building a European-type penitentiary system.

What should be changed in the Internal Regulations

The civil human rights organisation “Donetsk Memorial” has initiated the preparation of proposals for the Internal Regulations of penal institutions. These proposals have been sent to the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Ministry of Justice with the expectation that they will be reviewed and taken into account when adopting amendments to these Regulations. Twelve experts—representatives of civil society organisations and scholars specialising in the problems of the penal enforcement system—contributed to the preparation of these proposals. The first table contains the proposals supported by the majority of experts, and the second contains proposals that received a mixed assessment from the experts.

65 prisoners engage in mass self-harm at IK-14 (Angarsk, Russia)

The problem of interethnic communication: who is more civilised – the man in uniform striving to break people, or the Tuvan who would rather die than continue living after losing his masculine and human dignity within the walls of the prison cell.

Refusal of parole for non-participation in self-management organisations is illegal

Convicts in Russia are denied parole due to their non-participation in the activities of self-management organisations for convicts

Why is Ukraine losing cases in the European Court?

An overview of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against Ukraine, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which analyses the causes of violations of the rights of citizens who have applied to the Court and proposes ways to rectify the situation.

Do Fear's Eyes Enlarge?

A week before the New Year, on 24 December, eight convicts cut themselves in Darieva Correctional Colony No. 10

Prison School Lesson Cancelled

Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that sending children behind bars is permissible only as an exception. The opinion of the highest court is now particularly relevant. After all, the overwhelming majority of those who participated in the riots on Manezhnaya Square were teenagers, pupils of schools and vocational colleges

With a Criminal Past Into Public Life

Will the activities of the Public Monitoring Commission be directed towards protecting the interests of the detained, or towards promoting the interests of criminal structures in correctional institutions?

Why Do Russian Convicts Fear Freedom?

The Russian prison system tears a person away from society not just for the duration of their sentence, but altogether

Lawlessness in Lviv Detention Centre: A Lieutenant Colonel Beat Me Against the Wall

For abuse of authority, exceeding official powers, forgery and negligence, 51-year-old former head of Lviv detention centre No. 19, Vasily Romanishin, was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment with a one-year suspension of execution