Colonies for minors. Educational and Correctional Institutions

Much to our regret, quite often on a trail of criminality become not only adults, but also children. Affects the influence of bad companies, lack of parenting, a great desire to become adults. Sometimes you marvel at the cruelty with which the younger generation commits crimes. Many of the teenagers believe that because of their age, punishment will not follow, and are deeply mistaken. To correct these juvenile criminals there are special institutions - colony for minors. How they differ from prisons, what conditions of detention and educational measures in the colonies, we will try to understand our article.

What is a colony?

This is the same correctional institution, only designed to serve the punishment of juvenile offenders. Colonies for minors in Russia occupy a special place in the entire correctional system.

The thing is that the age of violators who serve their sentences in such institutions is young enough, therefore it presupposes the creation of special conditions for their maintenance. As a rule, staying in such colonies can not be compared with prison maintenance, in addition, every effort is being made to ensure that adolescents not only have served their term, but have also been re-educated and become better.

Characteristics of correctional colonies

In Russia, under the jurisdiction of the Federal Penitentiary Service, there are 62 correctional colonies for minors, they are located in 54 subjects. Most of them are colonies for the keeping of boys, and in the Belgorod region there is a colony for underage girls and the same in the Tomsk region.

Here is the statistics on the types of crimes committed by minors:

• 16% are convicted of theft.
• For robberies is serving a sentence of about 15% of convicts.
• Intentional infliction of harm to health - 11%.
• Murders - 10%.
• For rape convicted about 8% and the rest of the place is occupied by other crimes.

At what age can you go to the colony?

An educational colony for minors is designed to serve the sentence of adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. There are a number of crimes, the responsibility for which begins already from the age of 14, so many teenagers are mistaken, believing that they will not be anything for malicious violations, because they are still small.

In each city or district there is a commission for the affairs of minors. Its employees and parents of each child should conduct educational work in this direction and explain from what age and for what crimes criminal responsibility arises.

The term of punishment depends on the gravity of the crime, it often happens when a juvenile delinquent starts serving him in a juvenile colony, and ends up in prison. Especially it concerns those teenagers who do not realize their guilt and do not seek to change, behave disgustingly in the colony.

Why can a teenager get into a correctional institution?

Who is facing a colony for minors? How many years can you be outside its walls? If you study the law, you can see there information that criminal responsibility in our country comes from 16 years, but there is also a clause that names the categories of crimes for which you can get to such an institution since 14 years:

• Kidnapping.
• Committing robbery and theft.
• Robbery attack.
• Car theft.

• When deliberately harm to human health is caused.
• Rape or any other acts of a sexual nature.
• Involvement in terrorism.
• Capture of hostages.

Quite often, recently, adolescents commit an act of vandalism, damage or destruction of cultural property. For such offenses, the child also finds himself in the walls of the correctional facility.

There are also some crimes in which teenagers are often seen, but they somehow do not want to be associated with a young age:

• Acquisition and carrying of explosives.
• Manufacture and sale of explosive devices.
• Stealing weapons.
• Extortion.
• Distribution and theft of narcotic substances.

It can be said that enough crimes of minors will not go unpunished, but often teenagers do not even suspect that they will have to answer for the committed illegal actions.

Features of crimes committed by children

If we consider all the crimes that are most often committed by juvenile offenders, they can be divided into several groups:

1. Illegal actions directed against the human person. This category includes: murder, rape, causing serious harm to health. Fortunately, for such crimes teenagers are the least likely to enter the colony.
2. Crimes against property. This includes: fraud, theft, robbery, damage to someone else's property. These crimes are most often committed by minors.
3. Offenses that are directed against the population and the security of society. This is the turnover of narcotics, the carrying and storage of weapons, explosives. About 10-12% of adolescents are involved in such crimes.

It is possible to name still some crimes which do not approach to one group, for example, a fake of securities, gangsterism, murder of the newborn kids.

Among all the convicted minors, one in five has already committed offenses. And that's interesting: the more difficult and dangerous the first crime, the more likely that the teenager will perform it again.

Every year, criminality is all "younger", new groups of juvenile criminals are constantly replenished by those who have great criminal experience in the past. Such groups are distinguished by their good cohesion, which is quite dangerous for society.

Where are the correctional colonies located

If you are interested in a colony for minors, the addresses can be freely found on the Internet. There are a lot of them on the territory of Russia, for example:

• In the Altai Territory of such institutions 2: in the city of Biysk and Novoaltaysk.
• Colony for underage boys in the Krasnodar Territory.
• In the Krasnoyarsk and Primorye Territories.
• In the Belgorod region there is a colony for underage girls.
• In the Volgograd and Voronezh regions.
• In the Ryazan, Rostov and Samara regions, there are also such institutions.
• On the territory of the Moscow region there are two colonies for minors.
• Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Orenburg, Novosibirsk and Oryol regions also have correctional facilities on their territory.

From the list given, almost all the colonies are intended for serving punishment by underage boys, only two across Russia are ready to accept girls for correction. For example, in the territory of neighboring Ukraine only the Melitopol penitentiary is female, all the rest are intended for the male population.

Still, girls are much less likely to become members of criminal groups or commit crimes alone.

Conditions of detention in penal colonies

Educational colony for minors differ from prisons in that they practice several different conditions of detention:

1. Preferential.
2. Strict.
3. Lite.

Immediately after the juvenile offender crosses the threshold of the colony, it is kept under normal conditions. But this applies only to those who first committed a crime. Within three months, a convicted teenager is observed. If during this time he does not commit any misconduct and will behave well, then he is transferred to a facilitated conditions of detention.

Those who have already violated the regime from the first days of their stay in the colony, are in conflict, they are facing a completely different attitude. They are placed in strict conditions of detention.

Before the liberation of those who were kept in light conditions, they are transferred to preferential ones. But sometimes it happens that teenagers on the joys that soon home, begin to violate the regime, here in this situation they are threatened with transfer to strict conditions of detention.

The transfer of the conditions to others is handled by the head of the colony himself.

What is the difference between the conditions of detention?

If minors serve their sentences in the colonies on preferential terms, they live in special hostels. Everyone has his own account, on which money lies, and they can use them unlimitedly. For such adolescents, short visits are allowed at any time. During the year they are allowed to take long visits, during which they are even allowed to reside outside the colony.

There are cases when minors who are kept on preferential terms are allowed to live outside the institution, but only under the supervision of the administration. Teenagers are then allowed to use cash and wear ordinary clothes.

If the child is kept in light conditions, then he lives in a dormitory, can buy food, but the amount is limited to 7 minimum wages. Within a year, short visits are allowed every month, and long ones are allowed once a quarter.

The usual conditions of detention include living in dormitories, spending up to 5 minimum salaries for the purchase of products. Short visits only 8 during the year, and long-term - 4.

Strict conditions are intended to contain malicious violators of order or those who enter such an institution for the first time. The conditions, of course, are radically different from the others. Adolescents live in separate rooms that close if convicts are not busy with work or study. In a month they can spend only 3 minimal salaries, long visits are generally not laid, and short-term visits only 6 a year.

Given the currently insufficient funding of such institutions, it can be noted that there is not always an opportunity to transfer to a preferential maintenance condition before releasing a teenager. And this period is considered important enough, it allows the child to adapt to living conditions at large.

As well as from prison, one can leave the colony ahead of schedule. If the crime committed by a teenager is of a moderate or not serious nature, then with good behavior and observance of the regime, the convict may go home after he has served the third part of the sentence. In case of serious offenses, they can be released ahead of schedule only after 2/3 of the deadline.

A children's colony for minors presupposes the attraction of adolescents to work. The length of the working day depends on the age of the convict. At night, any work is prohibited, as well as on weekends.

Accommodation, food and clothing are provided to convicts at the expense of the state. Each month, at least 50% of the earned funds must be transferred to the personal account of each minor.

Under what circumstances do they transfer to strict conditions

All convicted minors, being in the colony, must comply with the regime, adhere to a certain order. Malicious violations, for which it is possible to get into preferential conditions from preferential or light conditions, are as follows:

• If you have noticed the use of alcoholic beverages, as well as drugs.
• For committing hooligan acts.
• Failure to meet the requirements of the administration.
• Insulting the representatives of the administration of the colony.
• Storage and manufacturing of prohibited items.
• Evasion of compulsory medical treatment, if such was prescribed by the court.
• Participation or organization of various strikes, group riots.
• Refusal to work.

After the transfer to strict conditions of detention, the legal status of the minor changes.

Measures of encouragement in the colony

The zone for minors differs from the colonies for adults with milder conditions of detention. It is allowed more visits, parcels or transfers, you can spend money from your accounts. In the colony there are also special measures to encourage adolescents for good behavior, active participation in the cultural life of the institution, good progress in studies:

• A minor receives the right to attend a cultural or sporting event outside the walls of the colony, but only accompanied by a caregiver of the institution.
• Allowed to leave the colony, accompanied by relatives or parents for a certain time.
• You can leave the prison early, if you got there for committing a misdemeanor.
• Early transfer to lighter conditions of detention.

If the convict is allowed to attend sports or cultural events, then this is only possible in the daytime. Teenagers are given ordinary clothes for a while to prevent unwanted treatment from other people.

Measures of punishment of minors

Not all teenagers, having got in a corrective colony, observe a mode, an order and try to be corrected. There are also those who remain as malicious violators as they are at large. For them, there are special penalties:

• With minor violations, reprimands are possible.
• A teenager may be banned from watching feature films throughout the month.
• A fine of 2 minimum wages may be applied.
• Place in the disciplinary isolation ward.

• Transfer to more stringent conditions of detention.

If we compare the number of measures of encouragement and punishment applied, then we can conclude that the former are much larger. This can mean that most teenagers are aware of their guilt, educational work in the colony gives its results.

Educational work in the colony

In adolescence, there is still the opportunity to influence the child and change his attitude to the outside world and himself. That is why in the colonies for minors devote much time to educational work.

Work is carried out in the following areas:

• Physical education.
• Moral.
• Labor.
• Aesthetic.

Adolescents, being in the walls of the colony, can, if desired, acquire skills in some professions that, after liberation, will help them assert themselves and feed themselves.

Teachers of the institution regularly hold conversations with teenagers and lectures on the theme of family and marriage, moral values. Many of the children here are from disadvantaged families, some are born by mothers who have served their sentence, so they often have no idea what a normal family should be like.

Most often, difficult adolescents have bad habits in the form of smoking, drinking alcohol, so physical education is very important.

In the colonies for minors, as a rule, there are many circles and sections in which adolescents can take part and choose them to their taste.

The organization of the educational process within the colony has several objectives:

1. Achieve correction of adolescents.
2. Prepare them for an independent life outside the walls of the institution.
3. To form law-abiding behavior, conscientious attitude to work.
4. To raise their cultural and educational level.
5. Professional training.

It is very important that in the process of educational work the minors have a belief in the need to achieve their goals.

Some colonies, whose list was considered earlier, practice the organization of parent committees, which work under the supervision of the head of the institution. A board of trustees can be created from representatives of various institutions, public organizations and ordinary citizens who will assist in the organization of the educational process, and the issues of employment of minors after release.

The Commission for Minors' Affairs, teachers and parents should work together to ensure that adolescents do not take the criminal path, but grow up to be law-abiding citizens of our country.

Currently, we in Russia do not have a system that would help convicts return to normal life after release. Most often the teenager has to face the same conditions that led him to the dock. Therefore, the percentage of relapses is high, and the minor again finds himself in the walls of the colony.

It is important, after release, to provide the teenager with the necessary social and economic support, but there is still a lot of work to be done in this country in our country.