NCJ Number
246274
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 54 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2014 Pages: 20-37
Date Published
January 2014
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined the geographical dispersal of prisoners in Russia, described by the authors as "in exile imprisonment" and as an impediment to prison reform.
Abstract
Receiving a prison sentence in Russia today means being sent to remote places far from the metropolitan centers in a process equivalent to internal exile. The authors' central argument is that "in exile imprisonment" is a continuation rather than a reform of Russian penal history. This study cites the "Pussy Riot" case and the authors' own data collection in order to show that Russia's cultural and historical attachment to exile as an element of incarceration has hampered prison reform. The authors first review the history of Russian prisoner exile and how it continues to this day. This is followed by an outline of the research on which the policy arguments are based. The third section of the study develops the concept of "in exile imprisonment" and discusses the traces exile has left in Russia's current prison system. The study concludes with a discussion of the contribution the concept of "in exile" imprisonment can make to the field of prison sociology. 50 references