SIZO prisoners are in the most difficult
situation. In the SIZOs of larger population
areas each prisoner is allocated less than 1 sq.m. of space, in some cells it is
less than 0.5 sq.m. Prisoners have to sleep in turns. There is no place for all
inmates to sit there. Conditions in SIZO cells
are extremely harsh: lack of oxygen, dampness, stench. Many inmates have bloody
ulcers and legs swollen from long standing, many are infected with scabies and
other skin diseases. Their bodies are perspiring and nothing can dry due to the
humidity. There is practically no light that enters through the heavily barred
window. Two or three-tier beds are fastened to the walls. Any cell, be it for 10
or 100 inmates, has one sink and one toilet. Such conditions are especially hard
for women. Women have to wash in the full view of the cell, and the sink and
toilet are not separated from the rest of the cell. Washing clothes and bedding
is also a big problem. As a rule there is no hot running water in cells.
Moreover, it is forbidden to hang ropes for drying clothes. Sometimes women have
to put on wet clothes to dry them and fall ill as a result.
