POLISH PRISONS IN 1918-1939: NUMBER, ORGANIZATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND SANITARY CONDITIONS (A CASE STUDY OF THE MATERIALS FROM UKRAINIAN, POLISH, LITHUANIAN, AND BELARUSIAN ARCHIVES)

Abstract

"The article highlights the issues of the number, organization, infrastructure, and sanitary condition of Polish prisons in 1918-1939, as reflected in the materials of the Ukrainian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarussian archives. The main research methods are problem-chronological and comparative-historical. In 1922, there were about 400 prisons in the Second Polish Republic (II Rzeczpospolita), but their number tended to decrease. Architecturally, the Polish prisons in the interwar period were closed complexes with various interconnected buildings. Most of the prisons were located in former monasteries and ancient castles, so their reconstruction and renovation/repair were pertinent throughout the whole interwar period. The infrastructure of the prison depended on its function features and size. The prison complex included, besides the prison administration building, premises where prisoners were housed and trained, barracks for penitentiary guards, hospitals or medical centers, various handicraft workshops, places of worship, and specially designated courtyards for prisoners' walks in. Various controlling bodies inspected regularly the state of things in prisons regarding their observance of the law and the proper sanitary condition. They were special audits by the Ministry of Justice, inspections by prosecutors and the judicial authorities, or even inspections conducted by governmental commissions. The normative-legal documents determined that the Polish prisons ought to be quiet, clean, and orderly. In fact, the situation was often the opposite."