Prisons in Belarus

Types of prisons in Belarus

In total, there are about a dozen and a half corrective labor colonies in Belarus, three prisons, and there are settlement colonies. There are also medical-labor dispensaries and pretrial detention centres. Most of the convicts are serving their sentences in corrective labor colonies.

We will tell you in detail about each penitentiary.

Regimes of corrective colonies in Belarus

There are 26 corrective colonies in Belarus in total. They are divided by regimes: strict, general and reinforced. However, the concept of prison system is based on the principle of separation of convicts. The prisoner is placed among people with similar "criminal experience". That is, a convicted for petty theft will not serve his sentence next to an experienced habitual offender.

Regimes differ only in the number of dates, parcels and money that relatives can bring to prisoners. With this money, they can make purchases in special stores on the territory of colonies. Thus, in one colony, people may have different conditions of serving their sentences, despite the regime.

For example, under the general regime, three short-term (up to 4 hours) and three long-term (up to 3 days) visits per year are allowed. Under the reinforced restrictions, two short-term and one long-term meetings are possible.

There are three colonies in Belarus with a reinforced regime of detention. There are sent repeat offenders and those who were sentenced for drug-related crimes. Also in these colonies, prisoners are serving sentences for about 25 years. Reinforced or strict colony regime does not mean that the food or conditions there are worse. They can be even better than in a general colony, if there is good material support. It all depends on how often relatives or friends will bring parcels to convicts.

The number of people serving sentences in different corrective colonies varies. One of the most numerous is colony No. 2 in Babruysk. It is designed for several thousand people.

The smallest and, thanks to this, the most comfortable is corrective colony No. 1 in Novopolotsk. Up to 14 convicts can stay there.

How corrective colonies are organized in Belarus?

Most of the convicted men in Belarus are serving their sentences in corrective colonies. There are large-sized rooms, similar to barracks. The toilet is located separately. Convicts move around the territory. Going to works, they line in columns and are accompanied by guards.

They also cannot wear casual clothes. They all have a uniform. All those serving sentences must work. It can be a sewing workshop or woodworking. Refusal is considered as a malicious violation. In some colonies, prisoners can also deal with the disassembly of ferrous and non-ferrous metal. Prisoners are paid for their work. However, as a rule, these are very small amounts.

Colonies-settlements in Belarus

There are only three colonies-settlements in Belarus. This is the mildest regime of imprisonment. Here, convicts can freely move around the territory, wear ordinary clothes, use mobile phones (without the Internet connection). There are no restrictions on dates with relatives or parcels. There convicts can also get an extramural education.

Prisoners can also go out into the city accompanied by a guard. They work on the territory of the colony-settlement or can get a job in the neighborhood where salaries are higher. They give a certain amount of wages for living in a colony. The rest of the salary belongs to them.

As a rule, those who have committed a crime by negligence, in particular due to a car accident, are serving their sentences in colonies-settlements.

Number of prisons in Belarus

There are three prisons in Belarus. They are located in Zhodzina, Grodno and Mogilev. These prisons have are the strictest reinforced regime. Those convicted for especially serious crimes are sent in the prisons. On the other hand, they can be transferred from a colony to a prison for a serious offense.

As a rule, those sentenced to life imprisonment are also in prisons. Convicts are kept in small cells with a toilet throughout the day with little access to a walk in the prison courtyard. There are also those in prisons whom the court has already sentenced to imprisonment, but decided to give a closed prison regime for violations while serving their sentence.

In Belarus, prisoners with a life sentence have a legitimate chance to be released after 30 years. It is possible only with impeccable behavior and four positive decisions of prison authorities of different levels.

Women's prisons and colonies in Belarus

There are two corrective labor colonies for women in Belarus: those who have been sentenced for the first time are sent to Gomel colony No. 4, and those with repeated crimes are sent to colony No. 24. There are two detention regimes for women in Belarus – general and strict. There is no reinforced regime prisons for them. Also, the Belarusian law gives women convicts one privilege: they are not sentenced to death and life imprisonment. Also, women are given no more than 25 years in prison.

In women's corrective colonies, in addition to rooms for work, sleeping and recreation, there are children's rooms. Educators and psychologists work with children there. Mothers are allowed to visit their children several times a day. Children also sleep with their mothers in separate rooms.

Children's prisons and colonies in Belarus

There are no children's prisons in Belarus. Children are sent to two youth detention centers. The detention center for girls is located in Gomel, for boys — in Babruysk. Those who turn 21 are transferred to a corrective colony.

Youth detention centers have all the conditions for getting a school education. Psychologists and other specialists work with children and adolescents.

Medical and labor dispensaries in Belarus

There are nine medical and labor dispensaries in Belarus, where convicts are sentenced to treating alcoholism. Prisoners live in isolated buildings. They have to work and earn their own food and living. They can work on the territory of the dispensary or outside it under certain conditions. Medical specialists work with prisoners.

Pre-trial detention centers in Belarus

A pre-detention center is a special place where suspects of a crime are kept during an investigation and a trial. There are six pre-trial detention centers in Belarus: in Brest, Gomel, Babruysk, Vitebsk, Baranovichi and Minsk.

Three more prisons should be added to these centers as they also perform the functions of pre-trial detention facilities: in Grodno, Mogilev and Zhodino. The length of stay in pre-trial detention centers depends on the duration of the judicial investigation and can sometimes last more than a year.

There is another prison in Minsk, which is now in the status of pre-trial detention center No. 1. This is the former Pishchalovsky prison castle on Valadarskaha Street. Those sentenced to death while they are waiting for an appeal stay there. There is also a KGB detention center in Minsk.

Conditions in colonies and prisons of Belarus

There are general rules in colonies, prisons, pre-trial detention centers and labor dispensaries in Belarus. Meals are provided everywhere (except for colonies-settlements) as well as a sleeping place. In prisons and pr-trial detention centers, these are cells, in colonies, convicts live in common rooms.

The administration has the right to inspect convicts at any time. The money is withdrawn and credited to the account of a penitentiary. Valuable things are also seized, and most often they are sold. The proceeds also go to the colony or prison bank account. This applies to items found during daily inspections.

According to the existing law, the administration of penitentiaries has the right to use various methods of control. Among them are audio and video monitoring. It is also allowed to use electronic and other technical means of supervision and control to prevent escapes and other crimes. These are handcuffs or electronic bracelets.

According to the law, physical force, special equipment and firearms are used independently, based on the prevailing situation. But they should always warn convicts about intents to shoot or use batons on women. In general, handcuffs, batons, means of binding, special chemicals, light and sound devices of distracting influence can be applied to prisoners. As well as devices for opening premises and forcibly stopping transport, water cannons, armored vehicles and other special means, service dogs.

However, firearms and special means cannot be used against pregnant women, minors and convicts with obvious signs of disability. An exception is an armed attack on security guards or an armed riot.

Interesting facts about prisons in Belarus

According to the Belarusian law, all prisoners have equal rights and possibilities. However, it is believed that in a corrective colony No. 3 near Vitebsk, mainly former high-ranking officials, prosecutors, judges and policemen stay.
In Belarus, women are not sentenced to death and life imprisonment.
There is a free online service for sending letters to prisoners in Belarus. The letter is sent to the service in electronic form. There it is printed out and sent to the prisoner in paper form.

Photo: iz.ru