paddy wagon

Any person who is in prison sooner or later gets used to it. Some people need two months, some need a year. It just sounds scary, but there are no exceptions,” writes NT columnist Ivan Safronov from Lefortovo prison

Any person who is in prison sooner or later gets used to it. Some people need two months, some need a year. It just sounds scary, but there are no exceptions. I've been in a pre-trial detention center for almost two years - and even in the conditions of Lefortovo I managed to equip my life. And I'm not the only one. Plus, you get used to the fact that from now on your life is built according to a schedule: getting up at so much, lunch then, a walk here, etc. Any "deviation" from this routine causes emotions - and most often positive ones. A person needs a change of scenery - at least minimal, at least for half an hour. And a person needs a person. And in this regard, traveling by paddy wagon is happiness.

It doesn't matter if it's crowded or cold (in winter) or hot (in summer) inside. In the paddy wagon there is an opportunity to see people whom we previously saw only on TV, with whom we did not even live, but existed not only in parallel worlds, but in universes. And here you find yourself nearby: a billionaire, a minister, an official, a general, someone else - it doesn't matter. I have never encountered aggression, but I have always found support. People share lollipops, cigarettes. If you try to find a word that can describe it - humanity.

A lot of people have been driving in a paddy wagon for years. Everyone knows about each other: what they are accused of, what the matter really is, what are the prospects. Many joke - humor is always appreciated in prison. There are also talks about what is happening in the world and in the country. Some thoughts are striking in their accuracy and objectivity. Some argue, some agree. And everything happens very naturally, without strain. There is no place for snobbery in a paddy wagon. Here it is not necessary and does not make any sense to invent something, to embellish - you are in sight, your behavior, your nature is very easy to read. The man in the paddy wagon opens up. It shows its naturalness in unnatural conditions: you are who you are - and this is normal. And it impresses. That's what makes you human.

Good conversation is hard to replace. It is said that grief brings people together and unites them. In the paddy wagon, everyone has a common grief, but everyone has their own trouble - and still you feel support. It's valuable. This is cool. You see strong, strong-willed people who are ready to defend their position to the end - and you yourself receive an energy charge, nourishment. In the paddy wagon you understand: you are not alone, your position is shared and supported. And you reciprocate. Not just out of politeness, but from the heart: because you can’t do otherwise.

There are many injustices in life. But in a paddy wagon - essentially a metal box on wheels that transports people to courts and pre-trial detention centers - there is less of it. When you arrive at the court and the convoy calls your last name, you get out of the car to the words: “Hold on, old man!” - to survive this injustice somehow easier.

I don't know how much longer my story will go on. But I can definitely say that I will remember every trip in the paddy wagon with a smile.

Photo: https://memohrc.org/