Prisons in Ukraine are regulated by the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, a part of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
As of 2000 [update], there are 32 preliminary prisons, 131 penitentiary establishments for adults and 8 colonies for minor criminals in Ukraine. [1] According to Amnesty International, torture and ill-treatment by the police is widespread in Ukrainian prisons. [2] [3] Several police officers have been arrested for allegedly torturing detainees. [4]
Prison population
In early 2010, there were over 147,000 people in prison and more than 38,000 in pre-trial detention facilities in Ukraine, a total three times that of Western European countries, [5] and half as much as in the United States. In 2009, the number of inmates in Ukraine rose for the first time in seven years. Coupled with this increase was a higher instance of suicide (44 prisoners) and HIV (761 deaths therefrom) in penal institutions during 2009; the former compares with 40 suicides in 2008. [5] Between 1996 and 2001, about 26 percent of inmates in various prisons across Ukraine tested HIV-positive. In a January 2006 study, between 15 and 30 percent of prisoners tested HIV-positive. [6] In early 2005, tests showed up to 95 percent of prisoners were hepatitis C positive. [6] In 2011, 6,000 inmates had HIV and 5,500 suffered from an active form of tuberculosis. [7]
Various inmates have been kept in pre-trial detention for up to 12 years; there is no legal limit as to length of such incarceration. [7]
Conditions
Convicts in Ukrainian prisons work 7 or 8 hours a day, except for weekends. [8] Prisoners get to keep part of the money raised from the sale of the items they produce. [8] They are limited to four pairs of shoes. [8] Computers, cell phones and other electronic gadgets are strictly forbidden in jail. [8] Bathing may be limited to once a week. [8]
According to the US Department of State Human Rights Report 2009, conditions in prisons and detention facilities in Ukraine are harsh, and pretrial detention was seen as arbitrary and lengthy. [9] According to Amnesty International, allegations of torture and ill treatment in police custody increased in 2010. [3]
See also
References
- ^ "Problems of reforming the penitentiary system of Ukraine and the draft of the Penal Code". khpg.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine: Victims of police brutality". Amnesty International USA. 27 September 2005.
- ^ a b "Radio Liberty: Amnesty International notes worsening of human rights situation in Ukraine". Kyiv Post. 13 May 2011.
- ^ "Ukrainian Police Arrested For Alleged Torture". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 1 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Number of inmates in Ukraine rises for first time in 7 years". Kyiv Post. 26 March 2009.
- ^ a b HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in prisons: the facts, AIDSLEX (2006)
- ^ a b Living Hell, Kyiv Post (23 December 2011)
- ^ a b c d e Tymoshenko will face severe conditions in prison, Kyiv Post (14 September 2011)
- ^ "The US Department of State 2009 Human Rights Report: situation in Ukraine". Kyiv Post. 16 March 2009.