Do Inmates Need Amateur Organisations? An Invitation to a Discussion

In 2011, the institution of amateur organizations of inmates in correctional institutions was abolished. The decision on the liquidation of such organizations is associated with the implementation of the Concept of the Development of the Penal System of the Russian Federation until 2020. Reforming the system of institutions executing sentences of imprisonment involved the replacement of correctional colonies with prisons (of general, strict, and special regimes). The transition to prisons would lead to the actual cessation of inmates’ collective living and, accordingly, to the liquidation of their public organisations. Since this did not happen and the inmate detachment system continues to function, there naturally arises the need to restore councils of activists and clubs of amateur organisations that promote inmates’ interests. Without relying on activists, the level of professional training of detachment chiefs will not have a decisive role in the organising of the internal life of inmates’ collectives and in the results of educational events. Inmates’ diverse interests can be satisfied in clubs on sanitation, culture, sports, vocational and general education.

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