territory of the facility, control prisoners, collect the so-called „common funds",93 enter cells and
physically assault disobedient prisoners; those who do not obey their demands are expelled from the
prison community and transferred to another building; they also misappropriate the clothes sent to
prisoners by their families. The so-called "prison watchers", with the help of prisoners employed in the
penitentiary establishment, control the inmates' cards. To this end, they have a special notebook
indicating the names of prisoners, the time of checking their cards and the amount of money deposited.
Members of the Special Preventive Group found such notebooks in one of the buildings.
The monitoring revealed that there are privileged prisoners in Establishment No. 8, who are assisted
by the administration in repairing their cells; they have various items that are not permitted for other
prisoners; they receive timely medical care. In addition, the prison administration takes into account
their desire to be placed together with their friends. The Special Preventive Group would welcome
such efforts of the administration to improve the situation of prisoners if it were extended to all
prisoners, if it were fair and did not create a threat of corruption or nepotism. Unfortunately,
Establishment No. 8 does not provide the same conditions for the vast majority of prisoners.
According to several prisoners, some inmates of Establishment No. 8 are close to the administration
and have influence on other prisoners and, if necessary, the administration uses them to “settle
relations” with inmates (in case of hunger complaints, other forms of dissatisfaction or conflict
situations).
Most of the convicts interviewed by the Special Preventive Group, as well as staff confirm that
"watchers" keep order in the facility. Prisoners provided the first and last names, as well as nicknames
of specific criminal leaders.
The Group was also informed that in Establishments Nos. 14 and 15, a representative of criminal
subculture goes to a newly admitted convict and serves him with coffee/tea, chocolate and cigarettes.
After moving to the residential building, the same convict is told that he must make a contribution to
help newly admitted convicts who have nothing, like he was helped. Thus, informal leaders try their
best to convince the newly admitted convicts of their "good intentions" and the need to participate in
the collection of the so-called „common funds".
The analysis of the obtained information shows the following picture in Establishment No. 15: Coffee
and cigarettes equivalent to the "membership fee” are given to the informal leaders by each cell, after
which, prisoners buy cigarettes not in the prison shop, but from "watchers". The relatives of prisoners
deposit money in the prisoners’ bank accounts controlled by "watchers" or in a betting account opened
for the above purpose. Making a contribution to the "common funds" is related to quite big amounts of
93
A combination of material benefits, donations, which is accumulated in the hands of the informal leader and is
managed by the same informal leader.
46
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents