Prison № 8, Zhodino: address, phone, photo

The small town of Zhodino in the Minsk region of the Republic of Belarus is famous not only for the BelAZ dump trucks production plant, but also for the special regime prison. Correctional facility No. 8 contains the most notorious criminals, those who are sentenced to life imprisonment. This place is often called a sign of the Lukashev regime, the triumph of its dictatorship. Reviews about the prison number 8 in Zhodino are very controversial, the relatives of the convicts speak about the unprecedented cruelty of the staff, the staff argue that everything is within the law. Be that as it may, prison No. 8 for those sentenced to life imprisonment functions and regularly accepts new "residents".

The issue of life imprisonment

In Russia, for "life-members" there are special regime colonies, the conditions of detention are as strict as possible, but there are practically no prisons in the Russian Federation, just as there is no death penalty, the moratorium on it was introduced back in the 90s. In Belarus, the situation is different, the execution there has never been abolished, and it is still used as an exceptional punishment. The only retreat in favor of European humanistic demands is the introduction in 1997 of the law on life imprisonment as an alternative to the death penalty.

Under the new law, it was required to ensure the creation of special conditions for a new category of convicts, the construction and equipping of special regime institutions. This is how the history of prison No. 8 in Zhodino begins for life prisoners.

History

The very building of the prison appeared in 1984, when the so-called LTP - the medical-labor dispensary was created here. In this place, people who were sick with tuberculosis, syphilis and other serious diseases were serving their sentence. A new round of the history of the penitentiary institution began in 1992, when LTP was reorganized into the Detention Unit No. 8 of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee.

With the introduction in 1999 of the article providing for life imprisonment in Zhodino, a corps for convicts of this category was opened. As in similar Russian "zones", this building is located near the facilities with the usual regime of serving punishment. Convicts for life imprisonment can not work in the kitchen or any production, so it turns out that the notorious murderers, maniacs and terrorists have to serve other prisoners, with a softer regime.

general information

To date, prison number 8 Zhodino contains about 1500 people. Most of them live in jail in the status of a person under investigation or convicted, waiting to be sent to the stage. 130-140 people are here on special, exceptional conditions, all of them were given the decision to replace the lost alternative, milder form of punishment, namely, for life. Although the supreme measure of punishment is still applied in Belarus, so, in 2016, four such verdicts were pronounced.

All these people were convicted for the most serious crimes, some of which provided for the death penalty, but for whatever reason the highest measure was replaced by life imprisonment. Convicts who are in the prison of a special regime committed crimes against a person, on account of some not one and not two lives destroyed.

In addition to the persons under investigation and those sentenced to life imprisonment, there is a detachment of hozobsluzhi in prison No. 8 in the prison of Zhodino. These are the persons who have decided to remain serving their sentence and work in the remand prison. They perform all the work in the kitchen, in the utility rooms and on the street. Separately, the medical unit functions.

Internal organization

The address of prison No. 8 in Zhodino is known to all local residents, it is located on the street. Soviet, 22. The entire territory of a regime institution occupies a plot of 7 hectares, there are six regime buildings and other related infrastructure. For prisoners under investigation and sentenced to life imprisonment, there are two separate walking yards, for the bulk of the special contingent an open courtyard is provided, where people are taken out for 2 hours.

Prison No. 8 in Zhodino has been specially designed taking into account the special focus of activity, therefore round-the-clock control here is perfectly adjusted. The territory of the special prison is surrounded by a double guard line, the entire perimeter is viewed by video cameras and the latest alarm system. The internal premises are connected by concrete corridors with iron doors, an alarm system has been installed everywhere. Trying to escape from this place is simply impossible.

Staff

Prison No. 8 in Zhodino is a special purpose facility, therefore the selection of employees here is special. A man with weak nerves and a disregard for working here, of course, has nothing to do. Although during the first time of prison work throughout Belarus there were persistent rumors that all unprincipled and brutal guards were beaten here who practice beatings and mockery of the convicts. This information is not officially confirmed anywhere.

Security here is at such a high level that employees can only enter here through special passes, even between the internal premises.

Detention Unit

SIZO and prison No. 8 of Zhodino with life-long inmates are in the same room, this fact strongly influences the general atmosphere and the conditions of the defendants' detention. Who has ever got into these walls, everyone tells about the oppressive atmosphere, the terrible attitude of employees and crowded cells. The total number of pre-trial detention center No. 8 in Zhodino can contain more than 1500 people of different sex.

Where can I find the institution's contacts? The phones of prison No. 8 (SIZO) in Zhodino can be found in the social network "VKontakte". Here, the relatives of the convicts share any information about the conditions of serving their families' punishment, the time of their visit, and also resolve personal issues. The group is called "Zhodino Prison No. 8".

Conditions of detention in jail

According to one of the laws of the Republic of Belarus "On the procedure and conditions for the detention of persons in custody", certain institutions are established for all institutions of this kind. For every convicted person at least 2.5 square meters is laid, for women with children up to 4 square meters. Meters of area. Each person should be provided with a separate bed and individual linen.

According to all existing norms and international laws, measures should be taken to place convicts in chambers on a mandatory basis: women should be segregated separately from men, juveniles from adults, recidivists from initials, and so on.

According to the testimonies of those who ever stayed in the SIZO, the main problem of Belarusian prisons is overpopulation. Some convicts complained that they had to sleep for a few days on the floor or sitting, until their own bed was allocated. These data are not confirmed by the Belarusian government either.

Internal order in prison

Prison No. 8 of Zhodino for persons serving life sentences has a number of differences in terms of order and conditions of detention from the ordinary regime. First of all, this concerns the rights of the convicts to move, they can not carry out any independent actions outside the cell. On the corridor move, bent in half, with arms outstretched back in handcuffs, fingers should be spread out.

In the cell itself there is a bed screwed to the floor, a stool and a chair, there is an opportunity to listen to the radio. Supervision is carried out round the clock, the inspector is obliged to observe the conduct of the convict every 15 minutes in the eye. The walk is put once a day for half an hour, the walking yard looks like a camera with a grid instead of a ceiling.

Life of those sentenced to life imprisonment

Rise at 6:00, charge, breakfast, lunch and dinner, personal hygiene. In the daytime, convicts are allowed to move around the cell, sit on a chair or bench, sit or lie down on a bed is prohibited. They can watch TV the whole day, from 6.00 to 22.00 (only those channels that are authorized by the administration of the institution).

Lifelong convicts are books from the local library, and the management notes that criminals are beginning to read even the classics - Dostoevsky, Bunin, Pushkin. Many are trying to get an education or begin to learn foreign languages, the law gives them that right. The administration does not prohibit convicts from communicating with relatives and new acquaintances. Quite often there are novels by correspondence, there were in the history of prison and the cases of marriage.

For lifelong prisoners in prison No. 8 of the detention center in Zhodino, the transfers are put once a year in the form of a parcel of up to 30 kg, two visits for 4 hours. Twice a month a convicted person has the right to purchase goods in a prison stall by bank transfer. Long meetings are categorically forbidden, although after the adoption in Russia of the law on the possibility of visits for the continuation of the family, Belarusian human rights activists also made such a proposal.

Features of the penal system of the Republic of Belarus

The Belarusian penitentiary system, as well as the Russian one, implies carrying out measures for re-education of convicts. This refers to the European doctrine that, through humane treatment and upbringing, the offender will be able to reconsider his views on life and return to society by another person.

This statement is very controversial, whether maniacs, cannibals and murderers can change is a complicated question. Be that as it may, even for lifelong convicts, employees take all measures to re-educate the notorious criminals. The activities of the staff are aimed at creating a favorable atmosphere for the health of the convict's spirit. For many people, life imprisonment was a real gift, because otherwise they would have been sentenced to be shot.

Scandals

Prison No. 8 in the city of Zhodino has repeatedly become an occasion for discussion in the Belarusian media and other foreign publications. Especially often the prison theme for life-long prisoners is used in the articles of opposition groups that denounce the tyranny of the incumbent president. So, a few years ago, an article appeared in the network article of one of the "sittel" SIZO, who told about the atrocities of employees. Upon the arrival of the new convicts, they were passed through the security guards with clubs, with which they beat each novice indiscriminately.

Former political prisoner Valery Levaneuski in his letters told about the complete arbitrariness of the prison staff and the inaction of the leadership, which everything descends on the brakes. He also spoke about violations of the legal rights of convicts, they say, their complaints and statements did not reach the addressee. All these and other publications were mainly aimed at discriminating the image of the incumbent president and his government.

In 2015, a scandal erupted over the death of one of the convicts Oleg Bogdanov, he died in the prison of Zhodino prison No. 8, the address of which: Soviet, 22. The man had a sick heart and, according to his mother, as well as by his own letters, the medical assistance he was not fully. Parents tried to prove the negligence of the employees of the correctional institution, but the prosecutor's office refused to initiate the case because no illegal actions were committed.

Contact Information

The address and phone numbers of the prison No. 8 of the detention center in Zhodino, as well as additional information related to the internal schedule and rules of the visit, can be found on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. The prison is located: Minsk Region, Zhodino, ul. The Soviet, 22.

Additional contacts of prison No. 8 in Zhodzina can be found in specially created groups on the Internet, for example, "VKontakte", and also at the "Association of Wives and Relatives of Prisoners".

Interesting Facts

According to the Belarusian legislation, a life-term-sentenced person can, under certain conditions, expect early release. To do this, he should not have serious remarks on compliance with internal regulations or other violations. In this case, after ten years, it can be transferred to more comfortable conditions of detention, where more renditions, visits are to be made, a dwelling premise is given instead of a camera. In another ten years the convicted person has the right to file a petition with the court for parole.

The Zhodino prison No. 8 is a unique place, it is the only correctional institution in Belarus where at the same time detainees are under investigation, ordinary convicts and those who have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Objects with a special regime in the country are no more.

Approximately 45% of the total number of people sentenced to life imprisonment are young people from 20 to 30 years. All of them are convicted for murder with aggravating circumstances.