British inmates lack condoms, while prisoners in Belarus need fresh air and food
Authorities that inspected the British prisons detected that inmates were treated “excessively brutally”. Guards would call them by last names and provide dinners too early, making prisoners hungry in the evening. The inspection report used 200 pages to list comments for prison administrators.
Apart from free condoms, inmates will get more time for outdoor activities and access to gyms. British prisoners routinely have access to satellite television and can make free calls home.
It was revealed last week that the British Home Office allocated £220,000 for computer games. Visits of female sex workers and an easy access to drugs remain a serious problem, which prisons are trying to battle in vain. Prisoners enjoy their time and do not want to be freed, Glen Travis, a spokesman for the Society of Prison Guards, told The Daily Mail.
Arthur Finkevich, who served his term in the Belarusian correctional system, compares conditions British and Belarusian prisons.
“No doubt, it is hard to be compared. There is a shortage of fresh air in Belarusian prisons. 95 percent of inmates smoke, but there are no ventilation exhausts. Cells are overcrowded, with up to 27 people sleeping on 18 beds. People have to sleep in turns. The food is not enough. Only 30kg of food can be delivered by relatives per month. Medicines can be accessed only with the consent of the chief doctor. It is almost impossible to be admitted to a hospital. I feel that my hair grew grey at the age of 23. I have heart problems and aching back. There is a lack of vitamins. Prisoners work very hard, carrying heavy logs for just $1 per month”, says Arthur Finkevich.
Indeed. It is hard to compare the condition of prisoners in our socially oriented country and the capitalist Britain.
Photo: Malady Front
