The director of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), Arkady Gostev, outlined regions where the number of excess prisoners still exceeds capacity, according to a report from RIA Novosti. He highlighted ongoing overcrowding as a persistent issue across multiple facilities and regions.
Gostev noted that overcrowding remains a problem in 22 pre-trial detention centers situated within eight regional authorities, including the republics of Karelia and Crimea, as well as the Voronezh, Moscow, Rostov, and Smolensk regions, along with Krasnodar Territory and the city of Moscow. This description points to a broad geographic spread of strained facilities and underscores the challenge of aligning inmate populations with available space in more than a dozen facilities.
While the report confirms continued overcrowding, Gostev also stated a significant improvement: more than a 52 percent reduction in the number of pre-trial detention centers operating above their official capacity. He explained that many of the contributing factors are outside the FSIN’s direct control, suggesting that environmental, logistical, and administrative pressures outside the penitentiary system influence how many inmates each facility can safely and legally house.
On the same board, it was noted that during 2023, over 1,100 inmates were released due to shelling impacting regional FSIN institutions near the border with Ukraine. This action underscores the security considerations and humanitarian concerns that border regions face, and the discussion followed plans to review the matter in the State Duma. A draft law, discussed in parallel, proposed delaying conscription for employees of a number of ministries, including the FSIN, signaling a broader conversation about workforce needs in security and correctional services.
Earlier remarks from FSIN leaders have consistently addressed the balance between ensuring public safety, upholding prisoner rights, and managing the practical limits of infrastructure. The organization continues to monitor facility capacity, staffing, and operational protocols to adapt to shifting circumstances while seeking sustainable solutions for regional detention centers across the federation.