Discussion in the groups.
Main groups:
- reduction in the number of criminal cases referred to court, application of
rehabilitation justice;
- a shift in criminal policy objectives and tasks from punishment to
rehabilitation, focussing on victims of crimes instead of criminals, elimination of
torture;
- reduction in the number of detentions and of the term of pre-trial
investigation, broader use of preventive restriction measures other than imprisonment;
- reformation of militia, preliminary investigation agencies and the
procurator's office;
- juvenile justice.
Expected participants in the group: representatives of the Interior Ministry in
charge for preliminary investigation agencies, the procurator's office (in Russia arrest
is to be sanctioned the procurator's office), State Duma deputies and deputy advisors (the
lower Chamber of Parliament), independent experts from MCPR
(Yakov Gilinsky, Grigory Zabryansky et al.), NGO activists dealing with the development of
rehabilitation justice in Russia et al.
- reduction of the period of trial, especially in cases when the accused is
detained (at the moment, over 60% of the population of preliminary detention prisons in
Russia are those brought to trial), introduction of summary procedure for minor offences;
- legislative innovations for limiting the term of imprisonment in the period of
trial;
- reduction in the number of custodial sentences and terms of imprisonment (at
the moment, the share of custodial sentences for adults is 33-34% and 27% for juveniles;
an average term is 5.5 years for adults and 3 years for juveniles).
Discussion in this group will be led by an active participant in the judicial
reform in Russia, a judge of the Moscow City Court, Sergei Pashin, and a Centre expert,
Lyudmila Karnozova. Expected participants in the group: judges, lawyers, procurators,
representatives of the State Duma, independent experts, NGO activists, et al.
What kind of penitentiary system is needed and institutions dealing with
imprisonment and rehabilitation of released persons.
Possible ways of increasing the outflow of released persons from closed
institutions (on parole, amnesty, pardon, etc.).
Alternative punishment.
Additional Groups:
The need to discuss problems formulated in the programme for this group emerged
after a meeting (in late August) Valery Abramkin had with a new
deputy minister of justice, Yury Kalinin (PRI member), and also in connection with the continuous crisis
which put the Russian penitentiary system of the edge of catastrophe. It seems important
to draw up a programme for urgent assistance to the prison system. Otherwise the prison
population in Russia will be reduced not according to our plan. In 1997 ten thousand
prisoners died in prisons and camps. This is official statistics. The actual figure is
difficult to estimate because many prisoners die during their transportation to detention
centres or soon after release. In at least a dozen anti-tuberculosis colonies and
hospitals hunger is raging.
What kind of assistance may prove effective? In our opinion a campaign for the
salvation of the Russian prison population itself is needed. It is probably advisable to
set up an International Fund for support to the Russian penitentiary system and prisoners.
The main effort should not be focussed on humanitarian aid (foodstuffs, medicines,
clothes, etc.) but rather on a search for Russian, western and international (UNESCO, CE
and other) investors for moderate-cost projects. Such projects should provide for the
formation (or strengthening) of subsidiary farms, bakeries, workshops for manufacturing
goods which are in high demand and fast selling. The projects are to be evaluated by
independent experts. One of the requirements for obtaining grants is to encourage
institutions the management of which is willing to accept and fulfil recommendations
offered by the Fund experts and do their best to reduce the number of prisoners.
We suppose that participants in this group will be experts dealing with economic
and financial problems. We hope that in addition to independent experts, the group will
also include staff members of regional prison administrations or of individual
institutions having practical experience in correction institutions' survival in the
conditions of extremely poor financing (efficient use of their own production potential,
raising funds from local and other sources). I asked for Kalinin's
advice on such experts.
We arrange this group at the request of organisations dealing with tuberculosis
control programmes for our prisons. According to experts, the Russian penitentiary system
may fairly soon become a source of spreading drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis which
are today practically incurable. In curability terms this form of tuberculosis is worse
than cancer and probably even AIDS.
Presentation of results of the work done in the groups and their discussion.
The groups may present results of their work in various forms, for instance: the main and
supplementary reports, panel discussion the participants of which present different points
of view while all the rest may offer a short comment or a question...
The groups may suggest other forms of presentation.
We hope that speakers from the groups would express their opinion on final documents which
will be drafted in Russian and English in November. The groups may elect in advance from 2
to 4 representatives to the drafting group.
In the evening, following the exhibition opening, a charity sale of articles made by
prisoners will be arranged in order to raise funds for prisoners who are in an especially
desperate situation and for the "Christmas Behind Bars" event. We hope that each
of the conference participants will take home a souvenir made by prisoners.
