Prisoner Rights

[peacetraveler22]

Criminal psychology is a fascinating area of study, at least to me. This week, news spread that 79 year old Charles Manson filed for a marriage certificate to marry "Star," a 25 year old woman from Illinois. She was only 16 when she first discovered Manson on the Internet and immediately became attracted to his environmental philosophy, at least that's the story she tells the press. They speak almost every day on the phone, and she's permitted to visit him on weekends. However, conjugal visits are prohibited, so technically sex is not permissible unless they find creative ways to engage in the act without security guards noticing. Entirely possible! People are always finding clever ways to engage in sex in public places or under tight scrutiny.

I started thinking recently about what rights the most evil and heinous prisoners like Manson should have. Should he be allowed to marry? Have sexual visits with his soon to be wife? Some American prisoners have access to TVs, Internet and books on occasion. The most notorious of killers receive thousands of emails from women interested in pursuing romantic relationships with them. What makes a woman attracted to such a person? I can't understand it, maybe there are some psychologists amongst my readers who can explain? As you can see, Manson's soon to be wife is not some ugly duckling. She's quite attractive and well spoken, yet drawn to a prisoner who committed some of the most horrific murders in American history. Future husband with a swastika tattooed on his forehead? Apparently it's attractive to at least one person. You can hear her explain the relationship in this interview.

I know nothing about the Russian prison system, or how inmates are treated there. What rights do you think prisoners should have? Internet, TV, books, privacy for sexual relations if they're married or have a girlfriend? I'm torn on this subject, not sure how I feel...

Comments

[phd-paul-lector.livejournal.com]

As far as I know the worst conditions (in Russia) are in the White Swan prison. That's an island in big marshes, and this is for those sentensed for life without the right to get pardonned (this is i.o. capital punishment). This is a solitary, with no one to talk to, and when they are taken outside of their cells, they are moved in a bent position, with their cuffed hands hold up by wardens behind their backs. This is of course for the worst guys like mass murderers. Honestly if I had to make a choice I would prefer to be shot (proper shot made to the base of the scull is the quickest known death)...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Swan_%28prison%29 (but the Russian version is much more informative and interesting)
also, http://prisonlife.ru/mesta-lishenya-svobodi/27-ispravitelnaya-koloniya-2-belyy-lebed-g.-solikamsk-permskiy-kray.html
http://www.mzk1.ru/2011/01/belyj-lebed/
and you can find more materials including videos by searching for белый лебедь колония

I have read some books written by both ex-wardens (e.g. one about a juvenile reformatory school in Latvia in 1970s - not exactly a prison but rather a secured boarding school, according to the book it wasn't really bad but of course the inmates were not happy); and by ex-prisoners (in one of them there was a juvenile prison camp, and THAT was a real hell judging by the book; but the terror was maintained by the boys (15 to 18 y.o.) themselves, and not by the personnel. That was a so-called "блатная зона" (camp where inner relations are controlled by criminals; those strictly controlled by the administration are known as "red" ("красная зона") or, among the criminals, "bitches'" ("сучья зона") as the inmates who willincly cooperate with the prison administration are called by other criminals as "ссученные" (those who become a bitch). The book maintained that the inner (kept by the inmates themselves) order maintained in the juvenile camp was much more cruel then in the neighboring adult camp (also non-"red").

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link, it's interesting. There's a lot of dynamics and methods of survival in prisons. We have some of the same terms in English - e.g. prison "bitch."