In Ukraine, an event will take place on August 6 to mark the beginning of the sale of previously state-owned prisons. This was reported on the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice.

“The Minister of Justice Denis Malyuska will take part in the event dedicated to the start of the big sale of prisons, which will take place on the territory of the first object put up for sale - the state institution“ Irpen Correctional Center (No. 132) ”. During the event, the Minister of Justice will talk about the plans for further sales and the directions of using the funds received from the sale of prisons, ”the statement says.

The prison "Irpensky correctional center (No. 132)" is located in the Kiev region. In 2019, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine ordered the mothballing of this institution; the last prisoners were transferred to other correctional centers in August of the same year. Now real estate objects of this correctional institution will be put up for sale, the Ministry of Justice said.

Prison reform

Let us recall that the plan of prison reform in Ukraine, which included the reduction of prisons with the subsequent sale of land and assets, was announced back in 2015 by Pavel Petrenko, who was then the head of the Ministry of Justice. However, during the administration of President Petro Poroshenko, these plans were not implemented.

The current head of the Ministry of Justice, Denis Malyuska, presented his concept of reforming the Ukrainian penitentiary system in April 2020. Its main provisions envisage the reduction of correctional institutions as such, a reduction in the total number of prisoners by introducing new types of restraint of freedom, as well as making a profit from keeping prisoners in jail, by introducing paid cells.

  • Head of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine Denis Malyuska
  • Reuters
  • © Gleb Garanich

In early June, the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, registered bill No. 3591, which provides for permission to sell "frozen" prisons and use 70% of the proceeds for the construction of new correctional facilities and renovation of old infrastructure.

It was noted that with the help of such a sale, old pre-trial detention centers could be taken out of the cities, reduced costs for their maintenance, and also increased the standards of keeping prisoners in pre-trial detention centers.

Malyuska reported on July 30 that at the moment his department plans to additionally close eight prisons: "Kovel educational colony", "Ustinovsky correctional center (№37)", "Shiryaevsky correctional center (№111)", "Igrensky correctional center (№133) "," Black Sea correctional colony (No. 74) "," Zheltovodskaya correctional colony (No. 26) "," Cherkassk correctional colony (No. 62) "and" Dergachevskaya correctional colony (No. 109) ".

After the removal of the convicts from there and the dismissal of the staff, these prisons will be put up for sale. The minister added that the list will still be supplemented.

A large infrastructure project has also been developed to move the pre-trial detention center from city centers to the outskirts or outside the cities.

An RT source in the Golos party questioned the effectiveness of this approach to renewing the prison fund.

“The prisons were built in the days of the Soviet Union and have hardly been renovated since then. Therefore, most of them have fungus, dirt, rust and peeling paint on the walls. Billions of hryvnias are needed to repair them. Considering the speed of progress of reforms in Ukraine, all these prisons will be put up for sale not earlier than in 5-10 years. In Ukraine, there is a big difference between what they say and what they do, ”says a representative of the Golos party.

In turn, a RT source in the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine noted that the money raised from such a sale would hardly be possible to carry out a significant update of the fund, given the low interest of investors.

“I think it is no secret that there are no people willing to invest in Ukrainian assets. They are ready to buy only cheaply and for these funds you cannot build a new prison. So, thanks to the reform, there will be nowhere to keep prisoners. At the same time, one must understand that the standard of living of the population is deteriorating, and this leads to a surge in crime and an increase in the number of prisoners, "a representative of the Ministry of Justice said in an interview with RT.

Paid cameras

Together with the sale of prisons in Ukraine, an experiment is underway to introduce paid cells. Several “enhanced comfort” cells were created in the Lukyanovskiy SIZO in Kiev. As Denis Malyuska told the Ukrainian media, a month's stay in such a cell will cost the prisoner 12 thousand UAH ($ 436). Moreover, such cameras are not individual, but differ in some improvement in living conditions and food.

In early June, Denis Malyuska said that similar VIP-cells were also created in the pre-trial detention centers of Zaporozhye, Zaporozhye region and Dnieper. The head of the Ministry of Justice claims that the proceeds from the rent of paid cells will go to the maintenance of prisoners in ordinary pre-trial detention centers.

  • Prisoners in Kiev jail
  • Reuters
  • © Gleb Garanich

“At the same time, the funds received from the provision of such paid services will be directed to a special fund and will be used in the future to carry out current and major repairs of the premises of pre-trial detention centers to create proper conditions for other persons taken into custody,” Malyuska said.

The experiment will last until the end of 2021, after which a decision will be made to consolidate the norms for paid services in pre-trial detention centers at the legislative level. At the same time, this project has already been criticized as discriminating against prisoners on financial grounds.

An RT source in the Batkivshchyna party notes that for the majority of the Ukrainian population, the prices for staying in such paid cells are unaffordable.

“The average salary in Ukraine is UAH 10,000 ($ 362), and the cost of a“ month's stay ”in more or less decent conditions is UAH 12,000 ($ 436). This means that the cells will be available only to wealthy people, while everyone else will be forced to sit in an overcrowded pre-trial detention center. So this reform will not affect ordinary people, "said the interlocutor of RT.

The representative of the Golos party stressed in a conversation with RT that in fact, in this way, the unequal position of prisoners would be legalized.

“Corruption and bribery are rife in prisons. If relatives have money, then the prisoner can safely use the telephone, live in a better cell, walk longer and regularly use the shower. All the rest live worse than homeless people, "- said the representative of the" Voice ".

State sale

The current government of Ukraine is aimed at making money by any means, therefore, it has begun restoring the gambling business, selling land and prisons, Ukrainian political scientist and economist Alexander Dudchak said in an interview with RT. At the same time, the expert added, tenders for the construction of new penitentiary institutions are likely to be won by companies close to the authorities.

“Most likely, companies loyal to Ukrainian officials will receive orders for the construction of new facilities, after which they will distribute among themselves the funds received from the sale of prisons. These assets will be sold inexpensively, the proceeds are unlikely to go to the budget. Not everyone who could give a real price for such an infrastructure will be admitted to this auction. This sale is arranged for a narrow circle of people who will subsequently receive these objects as their property, ”the political scientist believes.

  • The warden in the pre-trial detention center in Kiev
  • Reuters
  • © Gleb Garanich

According to the head of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko, in this way the Ukrainian authorities get rid of assets that are not profitable to maintain.

“In this case, we are not talking about the accumulation of funds or expanding the possibilities of state building in a certain area, but about dumping excess assets. Exactly the same policy is pursued by the current Ukrainian government in the field of health care, education, where there is supposedly a constant reform, but in reality all actions are reduced only to reduce the number of medical institutions, schools, staff and thus reduce government spending ”, - said the expert in an interview with RT.

At the same time, Ishchenko noted, it will be extremely difficult to sell these assets due to their specific nature and the unwillingness of investors to invest in Ukraine.

“It is unlikely that any foreign investor is going to acquire such an infrastructure, because there is no Ukraine as a state, there are no rules of the game, laws on the territory of the country do not apply. In such conditions, only a risky investor is able to invest in some assets of the country. In addition, such specific facilities as prisons, which in any case require state support, will not allow earning money, ”the expert noted.