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7 J. Forensic Psychiatry & Psych. 1 (1996)

handle is hein.journals/jnlofncpy7 and id is 1 raw text is: EDITORIALS Russian forensic psychiatry: of Arkhangelsk and Kursk PAUL BOWDEN and PETER SNOWDEN We were told that the prison population had increased considerably since perestroika and, like the well-heeled 'new Russians', evidence of organized criminal activity was visible on the streets and called collectively 'the Mafia'. At Arkhangelsk, itself on the Arctic Circle, the prison was in the centre of town and surrounded by high-rise flats. As elsewhere, the prisons held only the unconvicted and those appealing against conviction or sentence; convicted prisoners were held in labour camps (now called corrective labour colonies) where, we learned, conditions were much better. Our first spy-hole view of prisoners was in several cells which held those who had been sentenced to death. Later, doors were opened to reveal 40 to 50 prisoners in cells measuring, perhaps, 4½m square. Devoid of natural light and ventilation the cells were very hot, and the air was putrid. Prisoners were naked from the waist up and three-tier bunk accommodation provided only 18 sleeping places. Along the centre of the cells was an ample table where meals were cooked and chess was played. A constantly running tap above a stone shelf provided access to both water and sanitation. Different cells provided for different needs: women, those with contagious diseases, those charged with sex offences, and the mentally ill. Adolescent detainees (aged 15-18) were also held separately, along with two adult 'minders' who evoked an awesome foreboding. Daily exercise was in pens in the attic space at the top of prison blocks where there was access to open air. Conditions in the punishment cells, and the image of the cages positioned in a corridor and occupied by prisoners waiting their turn to see the doctor, are unforgettable. We began our visit at a Moscow forensic psychiatry complex, part of the Serbsky Institute, where previously dissidents had been 'treated'. We also saw The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry Vol 7 No 1 May 1996 1-3 ©Roudedge 1996 ISSN 0958-5184

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