Delovaya Rossiya asks businesses if they are willing to use prison labor

MOSCOW, AUGUST 9 – RIA Novosti. Delovaya Rossiya is launching a survey on whether entrepreneurs are ready to use the labor of prisoners – with the appropriate participation of enterprises, up to 100,000 people can replace prison sentences with forced labor, Ekaterina Avdeeva, head of the Delovaya Rossiya Expert Center, told RIA Novosti Criminal Law Policy and Judiciary for the Enforcement of Operations.

Delovaya Rossiya’s Expert Center for Criminal Law Policy and Enforcement of Jurisdiction launched a strategic survey on the site of a public association in 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which will address the issue of awareness and readiness of domestic enterprises. use the labor of prisoners. The results of the survey will be presented in the first half of September 2022 “, – said Avdeeva.

“It is assumed that, with appropriate business involvement, the forced labor program could expand to 100,000 people, meaning the development of a viable network of correctional centers and incentives for businesses to cooperate with the Federal Prison Service (FSIN). It will open up a new opportunity to attract additional workforce across our country and significantly reduce relapse cases.”

According to him, the following areas could be the main “parties of interest”: construction, agriculture, forestry, mining and clothing production. At the same time, convicts will have the opportunity to maintain their jobs and receive a competitive salary after the end of the forced labor period. “The competent and progressive implementation of the entire initiative can become one of the main vectors of the future law on the creation of a probation system in the Russian Federation,” he said.

The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Justice: according to its data, currently more than 180 thousand convicts in Russia have the right to replace prison sentences with forced labor. Such criminal punishments contribute to the socialization and correction of convicts: they wear ordinary clothes, visit shops and clinics, and spend time with loved ones. There are currently 220 correctional centers in Russia that can accommodate more than 20,000 convicts. Deputy Minister of Justice Vsevolod Vukolov told RIA Novosti that a third of them were created on the basis of enterprises and on their initiative.

“The creation of correctional centers is a very promising direction, because here we not only drain the penitentiary system, but also help those convicted with petty substances to return to normal life early, renew ties with their families and avoid harmful incidents. The effect of the prison subculture. This is the Ministry of Justice’ It is a project of the Federal Penitentiary Service, carried out in partnership with business associations and regional leaders.” said Vukolov.