Paul Goble
Staunton,
September 8 – The Russian justice ministry has prepared two draft laws that
would reintroduce the use of forced labor for periods of two months up to five
years as an alternative form of criminal punishment. By not incarcerating convicts, the state
would save money on prisons. And it would even earn some money from the work of
those convicted of crimes.
The
Meduza portal reports that the draft measures would require an individual to
live in a corrections center and work where he or she was told for two months
to up to five years. Five to 20 percent of their pay would go to the state, and
convicts would also repay victims and the state for their keep (meduza.io/cards/v-rossii-skoro-poyavyatsya-prinuditelnye-raboty-chto-eto).
The
draft suggests that this form of punishment will be “much softer” than in a
general regime colony because the prisoners will only be under supervision
rather than under guard and because they will not have to wear prison clothes.
Moreover, those who have served more than a third of their sentences with good
behavior supposedly will be able to live where they please.
The
draft also specifies that no law will specify that such forced labor be used in
lieu of imprisonment. That will be up to judges, and it remains unclear how
they will decide on this “softer” and for the state simultaneously less
expensive and more profitable form of criminal punishment.
There
is only one real problem, the Meduza portal points out. The Russian
Constitution prohibits forced labor, but Russian labor law does allow it as an
exception if it is the result of a court decision and takes place under
government supervision. But the real reason for this innovation is about saving
the government money and maybe even earning it a little.
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