170 Russian prisons to be closed due to 10% cut in staff

15:46 28/02/2013

MOSCOW, February 28 - RAPSI. The 10% cut in staff in the Russian penitentiary system may result in the closure of 170 penal colonies, Gennady Kornienko, Chief of the Federal Penitentiary Service, announced at the service's panel meeting on Thursday.

Kornienko said that prisons may close because the cut back in staff will undermine their stable operation.

He also noted that prison closures may lead to legal violations. With today's number of prisoners, the prisons would be 74,000 places short - and as a result, "the deterioration in conditions will violate their rights and interests."

As of February 1, 2013, there are 697,500 prisoners in Russia.

This figure includes almost 580,400 people in 739 penal colonies, 38,900 people in 130 penal settlements, and 1,800 people in five penal colonies for prisoners sentenced for life.

Additionally, there are 113,200 people held in 230 detention facilities and 165 facilities used for pre-trial detention at penal colonies, 900 people in seven jails and 2,300 people in 46 penal colonies for underage criminals.