Issue # 11-2007. Content

Statistics for professionals and journalists: The Brief Characteristic of Penitentiary System in Russia (qualifying date 2006/11/01) (data of Federal Penitentiary Service), here are the numbers of prisoners and penitentiary workers, number of institutions, categories of prisoners, other figures.

Nils Christie answers positively the question he puts in the title "Is the Development of the Restorative Justice the response to shortcomings of Modern Penitentiary System?" He insists that restorative justice gives satisfaction to the victim of the crime, unlike the usual justice.

Yakov Gilinski, an eminent criminologist and sociologist, basing on sociological polls, states in his articles "Sociology on Tortures in Russia" that tortures are widely spread in Russian law-enforcing bodies.

The main block is dedicated to the International Conference "Prison Question: Research as an Instrument of Struggle (Russia and France, 1970ies - 2000s)". The reports (brief versions) of almost all participants are published in the issue. The first report by A. Bikbov, sociologist, introducing the conference and basing on the history of the struggle of Soviet dissident and French Group of Prison Information headed by M. Foucault, considers the struggle against penitentiary systems as an instrument of cognition. A French participant Daniel Defer tells the history of movement against the penitentiary system in France in 1970--1972. Filipp Artier (France) gives the history of the Group of Prison Information in details and bewails degeneration of its ideas. A. Roginski ("Memorial") puts in doubt even the possibility of comparison of French and Soviet history of the period. L. Alpern shares her personal experience of work as Human Rights activist in prison and her researches in Western penitentiary system. L. Alekseeva (Moscow Helsinki Group) speaks on the history of Soviet dissident movement the main claim of which was the claim to the authorities "to observe their own laws", and consider the fact that in today Russia there are political prisoners as a shame. I. Cohen (France) tells about the evolution of views of French "gauchists" during their struggle for the Right of prisoners. The report of Naum Nim (Editor in-Chief of "Index/Dossier na Tsenzuru" and "Nevolia") is dedicated to the influence of the prison, of the model of the behavior in prison on the society and the general atmosphere in the country. A. Cherkasov ("Memorial") gives detail of work of Human Rights activists in Chechnya before 2000. A. Smirnov states that today Human Rights movement in Russia is not consolidated. S. Markelov (advocate) speaks on the new quality of the political prisoners in today Russia. N. Zviagina (Saint-Petersburg, Legal Team) tells on the new technologies in organization of civil activities. O. Dzera speaks on difficulties of direct contact with prisons for Human Rights activists, about her experience of organization of committees of assistance to prisoners.

The last material of the block is not a report on the conference but an essay by V. Bushnev, O. Juravlev, E. Moskovkina, N. Savelieva (students and magistrants) on the difference in sociological approaches in France (1970ies) and in today Russia practice of monitoring.

In the block "Stories" we publish a literary work by A. Mulenko "The Myocardial Infarction" and a documental story by R. Gorchakov "From Convoy - into Custody" on a real destiny of American sailors in Soviet GULAG.

The last block is a material by an officer of penitentiary system A. Skalauh who analyses the existing principles of work with prisoners, their contradictions and effectiveness in approaching the main aim - adaptation of prisoners to the normal life in the society.

Nevolia. Issue # 10-2006. Print version (PDF, Russian, 1.8Mb)