Use of House Arrest Spreads in Russia, Saving State Costs of Incarceration but Harming More than Just Those Kept in It, ‘Takiye Dela’ Portal Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 6 – House arrest in the Russian Federation is increasingly used to save the state the cost of placing criminals in jails and prison camps and also to allow the courts to limit the actions of members of more privileged groups to a less severe form of punishment, the Takiye dela portal says.

            House arrest arose informally in Russia in the 19^th century. It was formally declared a permitted form of sentence by the Soviets but not used by them. But since the end of the USSR, the Russian state has used it ever more frequently, saving itself money and allowing the privileged to avoid being put behind bars, the portal says (takiedela.ru/notes/domashniy-arest/).

            Many Russians, Takiye dela says, view it as not a sentence at all; but lawyers and human rights activists say that those who are confined to their residences and forced to wear warning bracelets suffer as do the members of their families who continue to live with them. Consequently, the increase in its use is another way the state is saving money for other purposes.

            Formally but not always in practice, house arrest “cannot be a sentence.” Instead, the criminal code says it is “exclusively” a way to ensure that someone will not disappear while his or her case is being investigated. The law establishes that two days in home detention count as one when the total sentence is set, a sign that the powers view it as a softer form of punishment.