Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre

The state institution "Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre" is one of the oldest penitentiary institutions in Ukraine, having operated continuously for over a century and a half.

The institution is located on Kholodna Hora in the city of Kharkiv and is part of the structure of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine.

Today, it provides for the detention of persons taken into custody, as well as specific categories of convicts, in accordance with the requirements of the criminal procedural and penal enforcement legislation of Ukraine.

The history of the institution dates back to the mid-19th century. Following the approval of the "Regulations on the Kharkiv Convict Company of the Civil Department" on 15 April 1839, a decision was made to build a new complex on the western outskirts of Kharkiv. Construction work began in 1843 and was completed in 1847. By 1848, the convict company had already commenced its operations. This complex became the first large stone structure on Kholodna Hora and effectively initiated the development of this part of the city.

At the end of the 19th century, as a result of the reform of the penitentiary system of the Russian Empire, the Kharkiv Convict Company was reorganised into a correctional-convict department, and subsequently into a transit and penal prison.

After the adoption of the law on the restriction of exile in 1900, a large-scale reconstruction of the complex was initiated. The government allocated significant funds for this purpose, which allowed for the construction of most of the buildings by 1903 that still form the historical core of the Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre and the neighbouring Kholodnohirska Correctional Colony No. 18 today.

The institution played an important role in the social life of the country. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, a school for prisoners operated here, and among those held in custody over the years were prominent figures of the revolutionary movement and public life. Over its more than 175-year existence, the institution has repeatedly changed its name and subordination, reflecting the historical transformations of the state penitentiary system. During the Second World War, the complex experienced one of the most tragic periods in its history.

During the years of the German occupation of Kharkiv, the city prison of the Gebietskommissariat and the "Stalag-364" prisoner-of-war camp functioned on its premises, through which thousands of prisoners of war and civilians passed.

After the liberation of Kharkiv, the institution was restored as an investigative prison, and in 1949, the territory of the historical complex was definitively divided between the modern Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre and the Kholodnohirska Correctional Colony No. 18.

Following the declaration of Ukraine's independence, the Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre joined the structure of the national penitentiary system and today is one of the largest pre-trial detention centres in the country. The institution operates a maximum-security sector for the detention of men sentenced to life imprisonment, and also ensures the detention of persons taken into custody, convicts retained for work in maintenance services, and other categories of persons in accordance with the law.

With the beginning of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, Kharkiv found itself under constant missile, artillery, and drone strikes. Despite the extremely difficult security situation, the Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre has continued to carry out its functions.

The institution's administration ensures the continuous operation of regime services and maintains proper conditions for the detention of persons taken into custody. The Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre is not only an important component of the modern penitentiary system of Ukraine but also a significant historical landmark that has reflected the development of the system of punishment execution and criminal justice on Ukrainian lands for over a century and a half.

Contact information: State institution "Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Centre", 61093, Kharkiv region, Kharkiv, 99 Poltavskyi Shliakh St.

Head of the institution: Vadyim Vitaliiovych KURYLO

Telephone: (057) 370-67-76 E-mail: [email protected]