– Rampant violations –
Investigations into corruption in the prison service have uncovered rampant violations involving officials.
In late January, the governor of Prison Camp No. 2 in the city of Kazan in central Russia killed himself after his deputy was arrested and confessed to handing prison management the equivalent of about 600,000 rubles from a prisoner in exchange for early release.
In 2012, the former deputy head of the far eastern Khabarovsk region’s prison service committed suicide while facing accusations of corruption. His predecessor had killed himself six months earlier, also while facing fraud charges.
Last year three members of staff and two former employees at Moscow’s penal detention centre No. 1 were arrested for allegedly extorting 10 million rubles (Sh13mn) from prisoners.
Corruption allegations go up to the very highest level: General Alexander Reimer, the head of Russia’s prison service until 2012, was arrested in March last year.
He was accused of stealing some three billion rubles from a state contract to buy electronic bracelets and accompanying surveillance systems.
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