Russian prisoners in shock: why canned food was banned in the colonies

Prisoners ask the Ministry of Justice to return the desired product to the list of allowed

Russian convicts began to complain en masse that they were forbidden to buy and eat canned food. One of the appeals came from the legendary “Vladimirsky Central”. This prison is considered the toughest in the country, and usually no complaints come out of there (prisoners are afraid to write them). But the fear of hunger forced the convicts to pay attention to the “disappearance” of canned food.

The former rules of internal order of correctional institutions established: items made of glass, ceramics and metal are listed as things that convicts are forbidden to have with them, receive in parcels, parcels and parcels, or purchase. However, it was specifically stipulated that this ban does not apply to canned foods in metal containers.

“I survive only thanks to canned food,” the author of these lines heard many times during the inspections of the colony. And that’s why. In a number of institutions, punishment was practiced for those who refused to cooperate with the administration – conditions were created under which the convict could not get into the dining room. There were cases when low-quality meat and other products were purchased. As a result, the convicts refused to eat prison food, replacing it with canned food. It was canned food, along with condensed milk, tea and mayonnaise, that was the most popular product in prison stalls.

And what was the amazement of the prisoners when canned food disappeared from the shelves of the colony shops in August-September 2022. Moreover, they also stopped accepting them in transfers and parcels. The jailers referred to the fact that the new temporary accommodation facilities do not contain a clause about canned food, which means that they are prohibited in the same way as everything tin.

The Kirov inmates were the first to sound the alarm. One of them is Maxim Laptev, who is serving a 12-year sentence in a strict regime colony in the Kirov region. The convict sent a letter to the “MK” and the HRC, where he proposes to apply to the Ministry of Justice with a request to lift the ban on canned food. According to him, in the colony you can buy or receive canned food in foil, and they cost much more than canned food. “This gives rise to social inequality between convicts on material grounds and, as a result, increases social tension,” the prisoner notes.

The same appeal was received from the inmates of the Vladimirsky Central (albeit without indicating their full names) and their relatives. They claim that they cannot survive at all without canned food.

Interestingly, in some colonies, convicts traditionally refuse to eat from dishes that are common to prisoners of different social groups (we are talking about the caste system practiced there). And there, too, canned food was the salvation for the “alien” groups.

Human rights activists (including the author of these lines) prepared an official appeal to the Ministry of Justice with a request for clarification. It is possible that the department will indicate that there is no ban on canned food, and the previous clause will return. By the way, another situation that arose after the appearance of new TAPs was also recently resolved. Relatives of the convicts began to complain that they were allowed to go on long visits only with things and food with a total weight of up to 20 kg. All calls were typical. I will give an example of one of them:

“Just imagine, I am going on a three-day date with my husband, together with my mother and with minor children. And in addition to groceries, we take a bath towel, a towel for the face and dishes, clothes to change, toothpaste, brushes, soap… And, of course, bed linen. And how can you put all this in 20 kg ?! Even the employees of the colony are shocked by this rule, but they cannot do anything, because this is an order of the Ministry of Justice.” We sent a request to the Ministry of Justice, and he hastened to clarify: 20 kg relies on each person.