Does the law regarding those sentenced to death have retroactive effect?

Was the replacement of the death penalty with life imprisonment lawful? The practice of amending norms that were no longer in effect gave rise to a negative trend in judicial practice regarding the replacement of the death penalty with life imprisonment and defining the latter as a worthy and well-founded alternative to the exceptional measure of punishment.

The transfer of convicts from one institution to another of the same type under exceptional circumstances

It seems as though the Department benefits from the absence of a legal framework governing convict transfers. Under these conditions, the administration of a correctional colony, citing “operational circumstances,” can conclude at any time that it is necessary to transfer any convict to another correctional institution.

Problems of cooperation between the Department and supervisory commissions

In the practice of public control, there are cases of unlawful refusal to allow representatives of supervisory commissions to communicate with convicts, as well as the refusal to admit to a penal institution those members of the latter who have been held criminally liable

Problems of the Ukrainian penal enforcement system regarding the rights of convicts

Summary of the Kharkov Human Rights Group

Recommendations for improving the work of supervisory commissions and public councils

Recommendations prepared within the framework of the project ‘Promoting the improvement of the regulatory framework for the serving of criminal sentences in Ukraine’, supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

Monitoring Commissions and Public Councils: Practical Activities in Ukraine

An analysis of the practical activities of monitoring commissions and public councils, carried out within the framework of the project ‘Promoting the Improvement of the Regulatory Framework for the Execution of Criminal Sentences in Ukraine’. Printed in the ASPEKT bulletin No. 1-2008

How Ukraine ensures the protection of citizens against torture

Two years ago, Ukraine ratified the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture, which itself entered into force on 22 June 2006. The problem of the use of torture, especially by law enforcement agencies, was and remains very acute. It has not lost its relevance even now.

Issues of Social Protection for Penal System Personnel

Today, it seems that everyone is eager to criticise and lecture the practical staff of the Penal System. Human rights activists actively discuss the extraordinary events that periodically occur within the Penal System of Ukraine, viewing them solely as a consequence of the system’s own operations. Almost no one considers the underlying causes leading to these events. In this research, the author attempts to examine the problem of respecting the rights and legitimate interests of convicts through the prism of respecting the rights of the staff.

Access to Legal Knowledge in the Kovel Juvenile Correction Colony

Three out of four inmates at the Kovel Juvenile Correction Colony know that they are entitled to only one phone call every three months. This and many other conclusions are presented in a study by the Volyn Youth Rights Protection Association.

Analysis of the Survey Results of Staff at SIZO No. 13 in Kyiv

The International Society for Human Rights – Ukrainian Section (ISHR – US) completed the project "Transparency of the Process of Isolation of Persons in ITT (Temporary Detention Centres) and SIZO (Pre-trial Detention Centres) in Ukraine (2006 – 2007)." Within the framework of the Project, monitoring of the state of implementation of the rights and freedoms of persons held in SIZO in Kyiv and working therein was conducted.

Conditions of detention in a remand prison. Monitoring

The International Society for Human Rights – Ukrainian Section (ISHR-US) has monitored the state of the observance of the rights and freedoms of individuals held in the remand prison (SIZO) of Kyiv, as well as the conditions of their detention in this special institution.

Monitoring the Implementation of Social Rights for Convicts in Penal Institutions of the Kyiv Region

The findings of the monitoring carried out by the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Legal Initiative” indicate, in particular, a lack of belief among convicts in the possibility of an improvement in the situation and a distrust of prison staff. The authors of the study believe that their views cannot be ignored, as this only deepens the confrontation between them and the colony staff.