According to Article 94 of the Criminal Enforcement Code of the Russian Federation, prisoners in correctional facilities may listen to the radio during their leisure time, excluding the sleep schedule. This information was provided to socialbites.ca by the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN).
The agency explained that correctional institutions operate an internal radio network with a variety of stations and a broad musical library available to inmates. The only restrictions apply to content deemed extremist, the service noted in its response.
Nikolai Andreev, a staff member in the education department of one of the colonies, explained that music for prisoners is selected in accordance with the daily routine. It is played during marches, training events, and patriotic education programs. A designated staff member of the correctional facility, responsible for the daily schedule, controls the music. In punishment cells, a junior personnel member handles music in mass detachments, while platoon heads manage other groups.
There is a common belief that inmates listen to chanson music all day. This is not accurate. No chanson or popular music is played for prisoners. During educational and patriotic events, the daily routine supervisor presents the National Anthem of the Russian Federation and the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, along with various audiobooks of classical literary works, often poems. In free time, inmates have access to radio stations that broadcast ordinary music, chosen to fit the day’s rhythm, according to Andreev.
Andreev added that he does not permit any songs that could be used to mock or degrade prisoners. The policy is to avoid songs that glorify law enforcement or ridicule the inmates.
In hospitals under the Federal Penitentiary Service, music is not played for prisoners at night or during quiet hours. The staff emphasizes that inmates deserve respectful treatment and that mistreatment or taunting serves no purpose for anyone involved.
“Previously played Vika Tsyganova and Krug, now a different selection”
According to Ivan Terekhin, who is held at the Butyrka pretrial detention center, music played for inmates is limited and radio use is consistent. He reports that Mayak is the sole station heard, with occasional appearances by Kobzon or Leshchenko to provide some variety for older listeners. Terekhin notes a desire for more diverse choices and mentions that peers would benefit from a broader musical offering. He calls for improvements in taste and diversity to support mental well-being during confinement.
Vladimir Nechaev, a cellmate who has experienced multiple term terms, recalls that music in the region has changed slowly over time. He describes a shift from earlier years when patrol stations provided a more varied musical landscape, including patriotic songs and Russian chanson. Nechaev points to a recent lack of variety and expresses a wish for a broader range of music choices that would better reflect the tastes of a diverse inmate community. He mentions that while some peers enjoy certain artists, the overall experience feels limited, and many inmates long for more contemporary or widely loved tracks to lift morale during long sentences.