What is the FSIN of Russia - history, structure, tasks and powers

The Russian Penitentiary System exercises supervisory and supervisory functions for persons convicted under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Until 1988, the structure was part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, today it is a separate state organization that has its legal status, charter and oath.

Structure History

Not every Russian knows what the FSIN is. Because of the specifics of the work, information about employees and current events is usually not displayed on public display. Today, the country has about 1,100 institutions under its jurisdiction, which contain more than six hundred thousand convicts.

Service execution of punishment has evolved over the centuries, its history reflected the development of our society. In the times of the Russian Empire, several reforms were carried out to optimize the work of prisons, decrees were issued aimed at creating a special state structure.

Since Catherine II, there has been a tendency to establish a penitentiary system, whose duties would include not only carrying out punitive functions, but also carrying out educational work with convicts, preventing the recurrence of crimes.

In the Soviet period, the importance of the system of execution of punishment has undergone great changes, new types of deprivation of liberty have appeared: forced labor camps, closed institutions, the death penalty was reintroduced. Almost seventy years the structure for the execution of punishment was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and only by decree of 07.12.1998 it was qualified as an independent department subordinate to the President of the Russian Federation.

Tasks and powers

Since the formation of its own structure, the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia has repeatedly changed. First of all, this concerns the adoption in 2010 of a special concept for the development of the system until 2020. Transformations involve the creation of new types of institutions, raising the level of training of employees and channeling all activities to humanize the conditions of detention of prisoners, as well as to prevent the recurrence of crimes.

Based on the provisions of the new concept, the main tasks and powers of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia have been formed:

1. The detention of persons convicted or suspected of crimes provided for by the Legislation of the Russian Federation.
2. Organization of supervision of the behavior of prisoners in places of serving punishment.
3. Ensuring the safety of all those detained, as well as employees and other persons on the territory of the subordinated institutions.
4. Guaranteeing respect for the rights and freedoms of convicts.
5. Organization of protection and convoying prisoners on special routes, if necessary extradition of stateless persons.
6. Creation in the institutions of the penal-executive system of favorable conditions for the serving of punishment, which would correspond to international norms.
7. Implementation of assistance in social adaptation.

In addition, the department's employees are required to provide relatives of convicts with information about the place of detention of the prisoner, organize meetings and visits, in accordance with established rules.

Structure

To better understand what the FSIN is, you need to consider its device. The organization has many departments and subordinate institutions:

• The penitentiary inspectorate supervises people sentenced conditionally, or released early from the colony;
• The escort department organizes the transportation of the special contingent to the courts, police stations, medical institutions and places of serving the sentence;
• There are also educational institutions for the training of middle and senior commanders;
• Cynological service, provides protection and examination in special institutions;
• The medical department provides professional medical assistance.

The Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) includes 19 lines of activity for providing educational, psychological, industrial, supervisory and operational work.

Personnel issue

Service in the penitentiary system is attractive primarily because after ten calendar years, employees have the right to apply for a pension. Experience in institutions with ordinary conditions of detention is one and a half years for one, and in medical colonies, where there are tubercular patients, two years for one.

Since 2010, the employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service have received quite decent salaries, so the number of those wishing to serve in the ranks of the penitentiary system today is considerable. However, with the rise of salaries, the requirements to the candidates have also changed:

• No criminal record with the applicant and his close relatives;
• Absence of chronic diseases;
• Stable psyche;
• Good physical preparation.

Not many of those wishing to the end understand what the FSIN really is - working with convicts is sometimes very difficult and dangerous.

Marks of Excellence

The system of titles in the FSIN does not coincide with the military one, therefore all of them are used with the mandatory prefix "internal service".

So, for the middle and senior command staff the following categories are valid:

• Colonel-General;
• Lieutenant general;
• Major-General;
• Colonel;
• lieutenant colonel;
• Major;
• captain;
• The senior lieutenant;
• Ensign;

For junior commanders:

• Senior Warrant Officer;
• ensign;
• Foreman;
• The senior sergeant ;
• sergeant;
• Lance Sergeant;
• Private.

Assignment of titles of FSIN of Russia occurs in the order established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Some facts

Like any other state structure, the UIS is sometimes at the center of scandals, criticized in the media. The population, not fully understanding what the Federal Penitentiary Service is, accuses them of illegal content or inappropriate actions of employees, although the structure only executes the sentences and decisions of judges and prosecutors.

In a recent appeal, the President of the Russian Federation noted a decrease in crime and a decrease in the number of people in custody. This, among other things, is connected with ongoing actions in terms of education and assistance to convicts, as well as an initiative to replace sentences for non-serious crimes by conditional terms.

The department did not manage without corruption scandals. One of the loudest ones is the accusation of the former head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, A. A. Reimer, in machinations when buying special equipment.

The concept of development of the penitentiary system has not received a predictable continuation, the alleged replacement of colonies by prisons is unlikely to be achieved within the next two years, although the government has not yet officially canceled the planned targets.