toilets and other places in the quarantine, diagnostics, and allocation units. The personnel and “active” prisoners subject those who refuse to mop the floors, to physical violence in the form of “stretches”. The persons is put facing the wall with the arms up and legs at shoulder width, beaten with hands, feet and wooden sticks on all body parts, except for the head. The administration uses such refusal to clean as a method of selection in accordance with the criminal subculture. Considering these persons to be criminal leaders, after the beating the personnel imposes the strictest disciplinary punishment of placement into disciplinary isolation cell for 15 days. Further on these convicts confront the staff in relation to their unwillingness to follow certain procedural documents, i.e. prohibition of sleep and sitting on beds during daytime, regulated wake-up after night sleep, compulsory physical exercise, restrictions in access to TV programs, as well as the lack of free movement around the territory etc. The convicted persons also incite other inmates not to follow these instructions. The administration often penalizes them in order to reduce the negative impact of the said convicted persons, calls them gross violators of the penitentiary regime, and prepares evidence for punishment on false grounds under Article 391 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Inmates also stated during interviews that persons attempting at or committing self-harm, as well as those behaving in agitated manner during conversations on regime violation, are placed into temporary off-record holding at the medical unit for the socalled “tying”. The administration tells these convicted persons that the latter will be subjected to relevant measures due to their aggressive behavior. Unregistered case files on psychiatric disorders are compiled in relation to these persons. Then, in the medical ward, they are tied to the bed with sheets with no opportunity to satisfy their natural needs. Staff and “activists” periodically use violence towards these inmates, including beatings with hands on different body parts, predominantly the chest, resulting in injuries of varying degrees, including cracked ribs. Another type of common manner of inflicting injuries is the following: the staff member stands on the convict’s chest and abdomen and jumps for at least 10 minutes while holding on to the wall. In the quarantine, diagnostics and allocation unit, the monitors discovered that an “active” inmate stays with the newcomers 24/7 (during the past 1.5 years) who is registered as cleaning staff performing household services. However, his tasks include control over the newcomers’ behavior, as well as, according to the interviewees, active partaking in mental and physical violence towards the said persons. At the same time, according to information submitted to the Commissioner, an inspection by the Office of the Prosecutor in Kharkiv region shoed that none of the persons interviewed by prosecutors provided explanations on existence of the said violations. Meanwhile, the Secretariat of the Commissioner received information on the use of repressions (placement into disciplinary isolation cell) towards the prisoners who communicated with the monitoring group during its visit to Dykanivska correctional colony (#12). A request sent to the State Penitentiary Service in relation to this fact remained without due response. 119