Prison people

The most famous prisoner in the country, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, agreed to become a columnist for The New Times. The prison and the zone have always been part of the fate and history of many of our fellow citizens. In the 1990s, it seemed that the phrase “Don’t renounce money and prison” became an anachronism. But over the past 12 years, it has returned to our everyday life, has become an everyday reality.
After so many years in prison, I am far from idealizing those I have met. However, many inmates have principles. Correct from the point of view of society or not? Differently. But these are precisely the principles for which people are willing to suffer. And for real.

Kolya I once had a chance to escort an unremarkable young man, Nikolai, to freedom. Nikolai was imprisoned under the so-called "people's article" - for possession of drugs. Almost half of them are in prisons.

It was clear that he would return, because in his short 23-year life he managed to spend five years “behind the thorn”. He was not going to give up such a life any longer. Although the guy is frankly not stupid, but from childhood he absorbed the feeling of his rejection, uselessness and got used to fighting him in a team of the same outcasts.

Six months pass, and I meet Kolya again, but with a terrible scar on his stomach.

- Kolya, what happened?

- Yes, they took it with the Khimka again.

And here Kolya hesitates, but still tells a story that was later confirmed by those who were eyewitnesses. Having seized a man who had been sitting many times, the operatives decided to write off some other case “to the heap” on him. Conversations of this kind happen often and are quite frank: they say they will add you only two years, we will ask the judge, but you take on some robbery and you will get a date or a zone of your choice. Usually we are talking about a mobile phone torn from someone's hands. Kolya, without hesitation, agreed. But an elderly pensioner was brought in for identification, from whom some scoundrel snatched a purse with two thousand rubles. Grandmother, of course, did not remember anything and easily "recognized" the one whom the operatives pointed out to her.

And here Kolya suddenly rested: “I never hurt the elders, only my peers. To take the last thing from the old woman - no, I did not subscribe to this and will not. Even kill!" The operatives were stunned: “Kolya, this is the same according to the law. The amount is the same, and the term. What are you leaning on? We can’t replay everything because of your whim.”

“No,” Kolya says.

And he is sent to the cell - "to think", slightly beaten "for order".

After a short time, he knocks on the door, and when the “feeder” opens, the guts fly out there. Kolya "revealed", and for real. Real harakiri. The scar is as thick as a finger and half a belly long.

While the doctors were running, the camera tried to push the fallen insides back ...

They saved him by a miracle. Now he is disabled, but he does not regret: “If the old woman’s bag had been “hung” on me, I would have died anyway,” says Kolya, referring to his self-respect, without which he cannot imagine life.

I look at this repeatedly convicted person and think with bitterness of many people at large who value their honor much cheaper, and generally do not consider taking a couple of thousand from an old man or an old woman a special sin. Let the robbery be covered with smart words. They are not ashamed.

And I am involuntarily proud of Kolya.

„

Often it becomes literally creepy from the feeling of mediocre waste of human lives. Fates broken by their own hands or by a soulless System

”

"Here they are" As you know, a prison is a place where the most unusual people meet. Many types and most interesting human destinies have passed before my eyes over the years.

Often it becomes literally creepy from the feeling of mediocre waste of human lives. Fates broken by their own hands or by a soulless System. I will try to tell about some people and situations, slightly changing the details and names, taking into account the life circumstances of the characters. However, I leave the essence of characters and situations in the form in which I heard and perceived myself.

Prison fate brought me to a 30-year-old guy who is on trial on charges of selling drugs.

Sergei is an "experienced" drug addict, although it's hard to tell from him. He looks a little younger than his years, very mobile, educated. Roma by mother and Russian by father, which created a very interesting cultural situation. The mother had to leave the camp, and she works as a radiologist in the hospital.

The guy speaks gypsy, knows the traditions, communicates with the diaspora, but does not consider himself one of them. He has been using drugs for a long time (like most young people in his village), but having a medical culture and a strong will instilled in the family, he carefully monitors the purity of the “product”, does not forget to eat right and regularly “snacks”, that is, refrains from taking it for several weeks - reduces the required dose.

Actually, he asked himself to come to my cell in order to once again “have a meal”, since the rest of the prison, in his words, “does not contribute to this”. For several days it was frankly hard for him, then he let go, and he told his story, similar to dozens of others: he used, bought from one dealer, the police demanded to hand over the supplier, he refused, he was set up, introducing him as a distributor. Now he goes to court, they will give him 8-12 years, although he did not sell anything. Marked money was slipped, drugs are generally unknown from where.

I have heard a lot of such stories. He nodded politely, and that was the end of the conversation.

Several days have passed. Suddenly, Sergei arrives from the court, clearly in shock. It turns out that they brought a witness - the one who framed him. The witness is 50 years old. He was also arrested on some other matter and examined in the prison hospital. Found an incurable disease. Coming to the podium, the man told his situation. And then he declares - the term, they say, is mine such that I will die in prison. I will die soon. There are many sins in my soul, and I don’t want to take another one. I'll tell the truth, let them kill, I'm not afraid anymore. And then 40 minutes about how he set me up, how he sold drugs on behalf of the police, how he gave them money, how they removed competitors and clients of competitors. The audience gathered in the hall from the corridor. Everyone listens in dead silence to this terrible confession. And the man points his finger at the operas sitting there and says - "here they are." They get up and try to get out. The bailiff does not let them in, "maybe the judge will detain you." The judge stops the meeting and clears the room. A few minutes later, his lawyer comes into the cell to Sergei and says - "the judge is calling."

- What do you want?

“Obviously, freedom.

“That doesn’t happen,” the lawyer says and leaves. Returns in an hour.

- They offer you 6 years.

- It won't.

The lawyer leaves, returns very soon.

- Three years, you have already served more than a year, you will leave on parole.

- Agree.

- Well? I ask Sergei.

Three years, sentence tomorrow. Maybe you should have stood to the end?

- No, Sergey, you made the right decision. The system doesn't work any other way.

“Tomorrow” was three years and an application for parole. We broke up after a week. He assured that he would return to his job - a worker on the railroad - and quit drugs. I wished him good luck.

Such a system. Such people. To Threshold. On the Threshold. Which is waiting for all of us.