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You came to the post of head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia exactly a year ago.
How can you assess the past 12 months?
What did you manage to do from what you planned?
- This year has passed in the context of the completion of the Concept for the development of the penal system of the Russian Federation until 2020.
We are currently adopting a phased plan for the development of our institutions until 2030.
I would like to note that the year was not easy.
But in terms of the main indicators of our activity, we have positive dynamics.
This is the development of production sites, and the increase in orders, and the growth of products that we manufacture.
In particular, this year, over nine months, products worth 25 billion rubles were produced.
We have achieved positive results in the fight against diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV infection.
We also managed to preserve human resources.
People who are now working in the institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service perform their tasks in good faith and with high quality.
Now, together with the Ministry of Justice, we are working on the adoption of new bills and regulations that would stimulate their work by paying various bonuses and raising wages.
One of the questions that was often asked was the issue of overcrowding in our pre-trial detention centers.
The fact did take place.
But basically this problem was solved.
There are still several subjects with problematic institutions: this is Crimea, this is Moscow.
Now we have in the project the construction of two new insulators on the territory of Moscow, in the Moscow region.
Construction of an isolation ward in Crimea will begin next year.
And I hope that these measures will completely solve this problem.
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Last year, several changes appeared in the legislation at once, aimed at combating the prison subculture.
The Supreme Court declared illegal the movement "Prisoners' Criminal Unity".
In addition, Article 210.1 appeared in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy".
Now for the status of "thief in law" you can additionally get up to 15 years in prison.
Are there any convicted under this article?
And how will the FSIN fight the prison subculture?
- As for persons who consider themselves to be in the highest criminal hierarchy, in 2019 and 2020, 75 criminal cases were initiated by the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the FSB of Russia and our employees.
With the direct participation of FSIN officers, in 2019, 31 criminal cases were initiated against these persons, in 2020 - 34 criminal cases.
The trial has ended so far only in relation to one person, and the person has already been convoyed to serve his sentence in one of the institutions.
In relation to others, investigative measures and court hearings are underway.
As for the AUE, in August of this year, this movement was classified as extremist.
In this regard, we are systematically working to identify the adherents of this subculture.
We carry out preventive measures aimed at explaining the people who are detained in our institutions about its essence, about its harm.
Positive results in this have already been achieved.
We also work with relatives and friends of persons in custody.
There are concrete results when convicts, suspects, accused, even at this stage, already renounce such convictions.
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Last year, President Vladimir Putin approved the draft amendments to the Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation, providing for the creation of branches of colonies in the country at large enterprises and state construction sites.
Where have such colonies already been established?
And what projects are the prisoners involved in?
Is it economically viable or not?
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Currently, we have 24 large correctional centers, 84 isolated sections operating as correctional centers in 65 regions.
We are actively working to expand this activity so that convicts can work, earn money, and manufacture products.
We work closely with state authorities, with the leadership of the subjects, and with representatives of small, medium and large businesses.
We try to explain to them that this is a beneficial project for everyone.
Because our citizens do not just work, they also pay off their debts according to the writ of execution.
Currently, the average writs of execution for persons held in places of conviction are up to 100 thousand rubles.
Working at such enterprises, in the precincts, convicts will be able to pay off their debts and help their families.
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And on what projects and enterprises are your wards especially in demand?
- This is an agricultural direction, this is woodworking and metalworking enterprises.
There are several interesting projects in the future.
For example, we entered into an agreement with the Russian Titanium Resources company and the head of the Komi Republic.
It is planned to develop the Pizhemsky titanium deposit there, and we are planning to build a correctional center for a thousand places.
The center will help to equip and create infrastructure.
And in the future, perhaps some will remain there and continue their work already as free citizens.
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Phone calls from supposedly bank employees, but in fact from fraudsters who are trying to steal money, are probably the most common type of criminal deception today.
There is a widespread belief that all these call centers are in prisons - and it is the prisoners who call.
How is the problem of cellular communication in prisons solved?
Are mobile phone signal jammers in use now?
A year ago, in this way, they tried to radically solve the problem ...
- Unfortunately, it cannot be denied that in our institution, mobile phones are used by representatives of our special contingent.
Now the service is organizing systematic work in conjunction with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and a number of structures such as PJSC Sberbank.
We also have a cybercrime detection, detection and prevention team, the so-called IB team.
But what I want to say.
In 2020, as of October 1, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, a total of 210 thousand fraudulent crimes, or crimes of a fraudulent nature, were registered.
Of these, 76 thousand are crimes related to the use of mobile communications.
At the same time, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the territory of the penal system, 119 criminal cases were instituted against our special contingent.
That is, it is not worth saying that call centers operate on a permanent basis on the territory of our institutions - this information is not confirmed.
We do not deny that our contingent has telephones.
But statistics show that every month the number of phone calls from the territories of institutions is decreasing.
The second point: probably, we would like our employees to have a higher salary and they would not succumb to the temptations of bringing phones into the institution.
Of course, we are actively working to educate them, warn them about responsibility.
According to statistics, in 2020, 250 facts of phone smuggling by employees were identified.
Criminal cases were initiated against 56 of them, 170 were brought to administrative responsibility and dismissed from the bodies of the penal system.
In total, 47,803 telephones were seized.
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You mentioned that it can be considered economically profitable to equip correctional centers near large industries.
And what about the production facilities concentrated on the territory of correctional colonies?
Where can we meet the products of the FSIN ...
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The product catalog can be found on the official website of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia.
If we divide it into categories, then the main place is occupied by the light industry.
We have signed large contracts with a number of law enforcement agencies and departments, with enterprises that need the products of our sewing industry.
Everything we do is very high quality.
Everything is done taking into account GOSTs.
The persons who are detained in our institutions work in good faith in this direction, and we do not miss a marriage.
It can also be noted that we are now working closely within the framework of the Paris Agreement from the Russian Federation to prevent and reduce the hydrocarbon footprint.
In particular, the FSIN has more than 2 million hectares of forest plantations in use.
Over the past two years (taking into account the fact that we are purchasing more high-tech machines), we have reduced harmful emissions into the atmosphere by 18%.
We have three of our own nurseries, where we grow afforestation for their subsequent use.
There are great prospects for the future that we will expand this production and take a worthy place in this direction.
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That is, I understand you correctly, the Federal Penitentiary Service today is one of the leaders in Russia in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere?
- Absolutely right.
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Returning to the topic of production, which group of goods is the most popular today?
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Probably, these are products of light industry, our clothing industry and agricultural products.
We have wonderful woodworking craftsmen.
We can make houses in large quantities, equip premises.
We are ready for interaction and would be very happy if representatives of large business would use our products in the future.
Convicts remove snow on the territory of the penal colony No. 17 in the village of Industrialny in the Krasnoyarsk Territory
© Alexander Kryazhev / RIA Novosti
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on the data of the FSIN in Russia in the first nine months of 2020 the volume of production of goods (works, services), including those for government customers, amounted to 25 billion rubles (growth by 13.3% to APPG), chief among them: 34% - light industry products, 21% - food and agricultural production, 13% - timber industry, 12% - metalworking.
The volume of production of goods (works, services) for third-party organizations increased by 1.323 billion rubles (11.3%) compared to the same period; intrasystem needs - 166.6 million rubles (1.9%); local government bodies - 446.5 million rubles (63.1%); federal executive bodies - 578.6 million rubles (171.8%); state authorities of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation - 420.4 million rubles (151.9%).
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And what is the salary of the prisoners?
- We strive to ensure that it approaches the minimum wage.
The average salary is growing every year, but it is still 5515 rubles.
In the future, if we can employ our entire special contingent, expand production within our colonies and institutions, the salary will rise, it will be much higher.
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of the FPS data on 1/10/2020 average number of raised labor was convicted 180.7 thousand. People (5.4% up to APPG).
The average monthly salary of convicts employed in jobs related to income-generating activities amounted to 5,515.1 rubles (an increase of 10.1% against the AGPP).
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The most acute issue is the protection of the rights of prisoners themselves.
We hear from human rights defenders about a large number of signals and complaints about the misuse of force against prisoners.
How often do these signals correspond to reality?
And how much is happening on the fact of such crimes?
How many colony employees were punished?
- We cannot deny what you have just said.
These facts take place.
But they are not massive, these are isolated facts.
We interact very fruitfully and productively with members of the PMC.
We have established interaction with more than 1200 representatives of public oversight commissions.
And, despite the pandemic, this year, more than 1,700 visits by POC members to our institutions were organized.
Individual interviews were held with more than 4.5 thousand convicts.
We conduct a thorough investigation and investigation for each one.
And we apply all measures against employees, including criminal prosecution.
- How are medical units
coping with the coronavirus epidemic?
And how, in general, this year, when all of us were victims of the development of this virus, are they going through in the structures of the FSIN?
- Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have developed step-by-step comprehensive measures together with the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and Roszdravnadzor.
Therefore, we survived the first wave of the pandemic with minimal losses.
Generally speaking, 2303 cases were identified from the special contingent, and 10 304 from the staff. But most importantly, most of them have already recovered.
The losses are minimal.
One case of death of a convict from coronavirus was recorded.
Among the employees, we lost 15 people.
If these figures are transferred to the statistics of the Ministry of Health for civilian personnel per thousand average people, then our indicators are 3.3 times lower than outside the walls of our institutions.
Currently, we have introduced quarantine restrictive measures in 45 regions.
Shifts entering the service carry it without interruption for 14 days.
That is, before taking on duty, people are checked for the presence of coronavirus.
In the next 14 days, they are on the territory of the institution without the right to leave somewhere.
At the end of the service, they are also checked for infection.
We have enough disinfectants and necessary medicines for every facility.
As for the vaccine, it has not yet been tested.
As soon as it is publicly available, we will use it and use it.
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Are there any measures of social and financial support for employees ...
- This is necessary, because people work very selflessly, as I said, for tens of days.
Additionally, at the direction of the government, funds were allocated to us from the reserve fund both for medical workers who directly work with the special contingent and for other employees who participate in general preventive preventive measures.
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Summing up our conversation, what would you like to implement in the FSIN in the future?
- We're going forward.
We have significant plans that I think we will carry out.
With the help, of course, of our colleagues from other law enforcement agencies, with the help of the deputy corps, with the help of representatives of state power.
We are doing a common cause.
And I would like the FSIN of Russia to not be viewed as some kind of punitive body, but as a civil institution that protects the safety of people.
Watch the video version of the interview on RTD.