Working with prisoners is much easier than with those who are still on the outside. There is no exhausting shadowing, telephone bugging, driving around city all day long and writing detailed reports on every liter of gas used.

Things are much simpler in prison. Prisoners are always at hand resting on their bunks. Just like fish in the aquarium. The situation is under control, nothing unexpected is likely to happen.

Everything that is going on in prison today, will happen tomorrow or took place yesterday - all this has already happened before many times. Only actors change, their parts, stage and scenery remain the same.

When you find yourself behind bars it is important to remember two things:

- operation department works seven days a week;

- in prison nothing is incidental or happens by chance. Your cell-mates never just ‘happen’ to be put in the same cell with you.

Somebody wearing shoulder-straps thinks hard before putting people into the same cell. He has a definite purpose to pursue.

A prisoner must have a clear understanding of the objectives operation department has and tries to achieve. It will save him a lot of trouble and help to avoid problems. The main objectives are:

1. obtaining the most detailed information about prisoners and their associates;
2. manipulating prisoners and controlling the so-called ‘thieves’ movement’ in prison.

Obtaining information is the most important task. All the information about prisoners is subdivided into two categories: basic information, i.e. directly connected with their criminal cases, and indirect information that helps to find out more about prisoners and their social surroundings.

Such indirect information also helps to:

- throw light on other criminal cases;

- have control over a prisoner while he is detained and even after he is

released;

- predict his future actions;

- make him an informer if necessary.

Nothing escapes operation department interest. Cops want to know your favorite pastimes, the kind of clothes you used to wear and like to wear in prison, your food preferences and which church your relatives go to. At first sight such information seems absolutely irrelevant but if used for a certain purpose it can make you extremely vulnerable.

The more cops from the operation department know about you the more vulnerable you are. The better you understand this the more chances you have to survive in prison ‘menagerie’.

There is a stereotyped pattern used on everyone who gets behind bars. The pattern is simple and effective. Officers from operation department don’t have to participate in its initial phase. For these purposes there are plenty of informants among the so-called ‘experienced’ prisoners.

In each particular case the stereotyped pattern can either be reduced to several days or spun out for months. As an example let’s look at one of the most common ways of studying the ‘object’. Such study usually has three stages.

The initial stage starts with making an acquaintance with a new prisoner. The interest is directed towards defining his strong and weak points. The prisoner is being watched day and night, his habits and interests are carefully studied. Nothing escapes a well-trained eye. Cops from the operation department watch your behavior during ‘discussions’, they also want to know how you relieve the strain afterwards, in the cell. It helps them to work out the best ways of knocking necessary information out of you. The information provided by warders is compared to the informants’ findings, then analyzed and screened carefully. Preliminary conclusions are made at this point.

The second stage logically follows the first one. Basic information about a prisoner provides an idea of what he is like. At this stage a more detailed study of the ‘object’ begins. Among his cell-mates potential ‘friends’ appear who seem to be easy-going and understanding. The ‘object’ soon discovers that he not only has common interests with new cell-mates but they also happen to know the same people. If you are fond of hockey your new ‘friend’ is prepared to discuss it for hours. Missing your family? He will look at their pictures with you, sad and sympathetic.

The second stage often looks like fulfillment of your wishes and desires. You mention in a chat that there is no one in the cell for you to play chess with - and in a couple of days a new cell-mate appears with a chess board under his arm. You hint at being interested in banking and soon you have a banker by your side. They will get anyone for you to make you start talking. First about things in general but gradually getting closer and closer to the details of your case.

Your new ‘friend’ is sure to impress you as a reliable man who treats cops with disdain and pays no attention at prison scum. Talking to him makes you feel relaxed. You think you are lucky and thank fate for letting you meet such nice and interesting people in prison. But please try to remember: the closer your relationship with a ‘friend’ becomes the more painful his betrayal will be.

When the study of the ‘object’ is coming to an end the final and most unpleasant stage begins. The main objective at this point is to break the prisoner’s will, to make the situation in the cell unbearable so that the ‘object’ turns to the cops for help and becomes complaisant and obedient. All the cell-mates who seemed to be friendly and sympathetic are transferred to different cells. The ‘object’ is left alone with instigators, drug addicts, psychopaths and other scum. They are quite harmless by themselves but when directed and controlled properly can become a serious threat. So be on your guard.

The parts in the play have been distributed. There is a victim and there are executors. There are ‘chickens’ who will obediently report everything and there is an instigator acting according to the cops’ instructions.

Provocation can be talked about for hours. It is a topic as common as weather, pets or mothers-in-law. Provocation, in fact, is the skill of playing off people against each other. A lot of articles and books are written on the theme. To become a professional one has to be trained for years before taking root in a political party or any other organization.

It goes without saying that in prison things are quite primitive. Provocators are far from being professional though they are well-trained and often experienced. They usually keep in the shadow urging others to act. Their voices are never too loud, they try to win everybody’s favor.

When exhausting ‘discussions’ are combined with tense atmosphere in the cell it is difficult to keep self-control and remain calm. If you feel like putting in place a cell-mate too zelous to please the authorities be careful not to break his nose or jaw. Among the instigators there are many who are willing to ‘suffer’ to make you get a sentence, even though it is a different category of offense.

When the situation gets really tough try to avoid acting on impulse. There is always a way out. Take a detached view of the situation. The world is inside you and you can keep it under control. It is impossible to crush the one who doesn’t want to be crushed.

Manipulating prison ‘authorities’ and controlling ‘thieves’ movement’ alongside with obtaining information are the main tasks of the operation department. Being in charge of prison ‘authorities’ is easier than it might first seem. Such prisoners are easy to make contact with, they agree to ‘help’ without problems. ‘Authorities’ are usually ambitious and selfish people, extremely vain and suffering from the inferiority complex which they carefully try to hide. They have not achieved much in life and treat prison as their last chance to save face in front of the others.

It is naïve to assume that operation department and local prison ‘authorities’ exist separately and their actions are not coordinated. There is only one boss in prison. ‘Authorities’ that can’t be manipulated do not exist. In case such an authority does appear he is either tamed or destroyed. There are no other options.

More than once I had a chance to watch a prisoner being ‘worked up’ by the cops from operation department on the one hand, and well-trained cell-mates, on the other. And every time I was struck by the naivety of prisoners. Many of them sincerely believe that all those ‘thieves’ movements’ in prisons sprang up as a protest against injustice of prison regulations. They are also convinced that behind bars there exists the so-called state within state with a very strict hierarchy of prisoners. What nonsense! Nothing like that has ever existed! I repeat again: there is only one boss in prison. All those ‘movements’ are initiated by the cops to enable them to manipulate and control prisoners from inside the prison environment.

And, I must admit, it works. It is a very effective way of obtaining information as well as dealing with misfits. In Stalinist concentration camps during Chruschov’s ‘thaw’ thousands of political prisoners were killed by prison ‘authorities’. Same happened during the collapse of the Soviet Union and redistribution of power. Those who couldn’t have been declared mentally unbalanced or shot by the wardens were ‘given’ to prison ‘authorities’. This method has been and still remains one of the most popular when it comes to getting rid of the disobedient. It is not uncommon in the ‘independent’ ‘democratic’ Ukraine.

My only advice to you is try to remain calm no matter what happens. Whatever you see, whatever you hear - stay cool and don’t lose your head. Ever. Don’t be surprised at human meanness when a warden ‘fails’ to hold a vicious dog. Let those pigs laugh enjoying their power and impunity. You are here for a short time. They are in prison forever.