Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service requires reform, says ombudsman Lukin

SOCHI, 6 December – RAPSI. The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) is in need of reform, declared Vladimir Lukin, the Russian Ombudsman for Human Rights, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking about a surge in prisoner protests in several regions, he stressed that 'serious attention should be paid to all these matters'.

'And, in my opinion, this service (FSIN) is in need of reform,' he said.

In 2012, there is no significant difference in the number and quality of complaints received by the ombudsman, Lukin stated, but in the past ten days a problem has emerged which deserves special attention, 'it is connected with a surge in unrest and negative developments in places of detention'.

The ombudsman recalled the action at the Chelyabinsk colony. 'But the matter is not limited to it; recently in several facilities, protest actions have assumed a mass character, particularly in Saratov, Tver regions, Bashkortostan, and in these places convicted prisoners died under unclear circumstances,' he said.

Lukin believes that attention should also be paid to Rostov and Chelyabinsk regions and Tatarstan.

'People protested against extortion from them and their relatives, and also for early release under parole, prisoners settle scores with prisoners with the connivance of the administration, and many do not work – around 60%,' added Lukin.

The ombudsman recalled that a new concept for reforming the criminal justice system had been developed.

'It must be refined with the public in order to eliminate these problems,' he added.

In late November in Chelyabinsk Region, prisoners of colony No. 6 began a protest action and made unlawful demands for a weakening of regime, particularly the release of a number of convicted prisoners from the punishment isolation unit. Later, relatives of convicted prisoners gathered near the colony, most of whom left after several hours. The remaining intoxicated young people, according to police, violated public order, and then began throwing bottles at law enforcement officers.

According to the regional police department, 38 people were detained by police for violation of public order near the colony. Eight riot police officers suffered injuries during the suppression of the disorder. According to the Investigative Committee, up to 500 prisoners participated in the protests. A criminal case has been opened concerning abuse of official authority and five criminal cases regarding injuries sustained by riot police officers.

Federal Penitentiary Service reform

The reform of the Federal Penitentiary Service was announced by the then President, Dmitry Medvedev, in summing up the results of 2009. He declared the necessity for serious reform of the domestic system of punishment execution towards the application of forms of punishment not related to imprisonment.

Subsequently, the head of the Ministry of Justice, Alexander Konovalov, clarified that during the reform the entire system of corrective labour institutions in Russia in its current form could be liquidated and replaced by settlement colonies with considerably milder regimes for those who have committed less dangerous crimes, and conversely, prisons with stricter control for dangerous criminals.

Eduard Petrukhine, first deputy head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, called this week for the Federal Penitentiary Service reform to be corrected in the near future. The current reform, according to him, was written without taking into account the opinions of human rights defenders. According to his statement, the internal rules of correctional institutions and the criminal justice system need to be corrected.