The Penitentiary System of Russia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Global Challenge and Initial Results

ABSTRACT

This article describes the nature and extent of Covid-19 outbreaks in Russia’s penitentiary system. It includes an examination of the features and effectiveness of applied measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 among employees of Russian penitentiaries and persons who are in custody or serving a prison term (i.e. all detained inmates). The article also provides a comparative legal analysis that allows one to judge the extent of the spread of a new coronavirus infection in Russia, and in penitentiary institutions across Europe. The article concludes with an assessment of whether these short-term mitigation strategies will serve as a harbinger of long term reforms in Russia’s penitentiary system.

KEYWORDS:

• European penitentiary systems
• criminal justice
• Russian penitentiary system
• criminal sentencing
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. According to article 58 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, depending on the severity of the crime committed and other circumstances, convicts may be assigned to serve imprisonment in correctional colonies of general, strict or special regime. For example, individuals committed serious crime, are held in a general regime colony, while those committed especially serious crime performing dangerous recidivism, are held in a special regime colony. Those sentenced to life imprisonment are also held in that type of colonies.

2. In accordance with Article 85 of the Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation, in cases of natural disaster, the imposition of a state of emergency or martial law in the area where penitentiary is located, and in other emergency circumstances, a regime of special conditions may be introduced in penitentiary. During the period of the special conditions regime in penitentiary, the exercise of certain rights of convicted may be suspended.